Issued  April  18, 190. 

U.  S.  DEPARTMENT   OF  AGRICULTURE. 

OFFICE  OF  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS— BULLETIN  184. 

A.  C.  TRUE,  Director. 


PROCEEDINGS 


=>  t     SLc 


m 


TWENTIETH  ANNUAL  CONVENTION  ?&J. 


ASSOCIATION  OF  AMERICAN  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGES 
AND  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS, 

HELD    AT 

BATON  'ROUGE,  LA.,  NOVEMBER  14-16,  1906. 


Edited  by 
A.  C.  TRUE  and  W.  H.  BEAL, 

FOR  THE  OFFICE  OF   EXPERIMENT  STATIONS, 

and 
H.  C.  WHITE, 

FOR  THE  EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION. 


mm 


LIB. 


sg 


'Jg^O: 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE. 
1907. 


THE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGES. 


Alabama — Auburn:   Charles  C.  Thach.° 
Normal:  Win.  H.  Councill.0     Tuskegee: 
Booker  T.  Washington.  & 
Arizona — Tucson:  Kendrick C.  Babeoek. « 
Arkansas — FayettevUle:  3.  N.  Tillman. ° 
California — Berkeley:     Benjamin      Ide 

Wheeler. « 
Colorado — Fort  Collins:  Barton  O.  Ayles- 

worth.° 
Connecticut — Storrs:  R.  W.  Stimson.0 
Delaware — Newark:     Geo.  A.   Harter.° 

Dover:  W.  C.  Jason.« 
Florida  —  Lake   City:     Andrew  Sledd.° 

Tallahassee:  Nathan  B.  Young.0 
Georgia — Athens:  H.  C.  White. «    Savan- 
nah: R.  R.  Wright. « 
Idaho — Moscow:  J.  A.  McLean/' 
Illinois — Urbana:  E.  J.  James.0 
Indiana — Lafayette:  Winthrop  Ellsworth 

Stone. ° 
Iowa — Ames:  Albert  Boynton  Storms.0 
Kansas — Manhattan:  Ernest  R.  Nichols.0 
Kentucky — Lexington:  J.  K.  Patterson.0 

Frankfort:  James  S.  Hathaway.0 
Louisiana — Baton  Rouge:  Thos.  D.  Boyd.° 

New  Orleans:  H.  A.  Hill.0 
Maine — Orono:  George  Emery  Fellows.0 
Maryland — College  Park:  R.  W.  Silves- 
ter. °    Princess  Anne:  Frank  Trigg.  *> 
Massachusetts — Amherst:  K.  L.  Butter- 
field.0 
Michigan—  Agricultural    College:     J.    L. 

Snyder.  ° 
Minnesota— St.  Anthony  Park,  St.  Paul: 

Cyrus  Northrop.  ° 
Mississippi — Agricultural   College:    J.    C 

Hardy. °    Lorman:  L.  J.  Rowan.0 
Missouri — Columbia:  R.  H.  Jesse.  °    Jeffer- 
son City:  B.  F.  Allen. « 
Montana — Bozeman:  Jas.  M.  Hamilton.0 
Nebraska — Lincoln:   E.   Benjamin    An- 
drews.0 

"  President.  ''Principal. 


Nevada — Reno:  Joseph  E.  Stubbs.° 

New  Hampshire — Durham:  Win.  D. 
Gibbs.° 

New  Jersey — New  Brunswick:  W.  II.  S. 
Demarest,  ° 

New  Mexico — Agricultural  College :  Luther 
Foster.0 

New  York — Ithaca:  Jacob  Gould  Schur- 
man.  ° 

North  Carolina — West  Raleigh:  G.  T. 
Winston.0  Greensboro:  James  B.  Dud- 
ley.0 

North  Dakota— Agricultural  College:  J. 
H.  Worst,° 

Ohio — Columbus :  William  Oxley  Thomp- 
son." 

Oklahoma — Stillwater:  Angelo  C.  Scott. ° 
Langston:  Inman  E.  Page." 

Oregon — Corvallis:  Thos.  M.  Gatch.° 

Pennsylvania — State  College:  James  A. 
Beaver. « 

Rhode  Island — Kingston:  Howard  Ed- 
wards. ° 

South  Carolina — Clemson  College:  P.  H. 
Mell.°  Orangeburg:  Thomas  E.  Miller.0 

South'  Dakota — Brookings:  R.  L.  Single." 

Tennessee — Knoxville:  Brown  Ayres." 

Texas — College  Station:  H.  II.  Harring- 
ton.0    Prairkrii •//•/  E.  L.  IUackshear. P 

Utah — Logan:  W.  J.  Kerr.° 

Vermont — Burlington:  M.  H.  Bnekhani." 

Virginia — Blacksburg:  J.  M.  McBrvde." 
Hampton:  II.  B.  Frissell.?> 

Washington — Pullman:  E.  A.  Bryan.'' 

West  Virginia — Morgantvwn:  D.  B.  Pur- 
inton.0     Institute:  J.  Mcllenry  Jones.'' 

Wisconsin — Madison:  Ghas. Richard  Van 
Hise.° 

Wyoming — Laramie:  Frederick  M.  Tis- 
del.° 

'•Acting  president  <*  Chancellor. 


973  Issued  April  18,  1901 

U.  S.  DEPARTMENT   OF  AGRICULTURE. 

OFFICE  OF  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS— BULLETIN  184. 

A.   C.  TRUE,   Director. 


PROCEEDINGS 

OF   THE 

TWENTIETH  ANNUAL  CONVENTION 

OF   THE 

ASSOCIATION  OF  AMERICAN  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGES 
AND  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS, 

HELD    AT 

BATON  ROUGE,  LA.,  NOVEMBER  14-16,  1906. 


Edited  by 
A.  C.  TRUE  and  W.  H.  BEAL, 

FOR  THE  OFFICE   OF   EXPERIMENT  STATIONS, 

and 
H.  C.  WHITE, 

FOR  THE  EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE. 

190  7. 


THE  OFFICE  OF  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS. 

STAFF. 

A.  C.  TBUE,  Ph.  I).— Director. 

E.  W.  Allen.  Ph.  I). — Assistant  Director  and  Editor  of  Experiment  station 
Record. 

W.  II.  Beal,  B.  A.,  M.  E.— Chief  of  Editorial  Division. 

(2) 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 

Office  of  Experiment  Stations, 

Washington,  D.  C,  February  23, 1907. 
Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  for  publication  Bulle- 
tin 184  of  this  Office,  containing  the  proceedings  of  the  twentieth  an- 
nual convention  of  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural  Colleges 
and  Experiment  Stations,  held  at  Baton  Rouge,  La.,  November  14-16, 
1906. 

Respectfully,  A.  C.  True, 

Director. 
Hon.  James  Wilson, 

Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

(3) 


CONTEXTS. 


Page. 

Officers  and  committees  of  the  association 9 

List  of  delegates  and  visitors  in  attendance 11 

Constitution I 13 

Minutes  of  the  general  session IT 

Report  of  the  executive  committee IT 

Carnegie   Foundation 20 

Report  of  treasurer 20 

Report  of  the  bibliographer 21 

National  university  at  Washington 30,58 

Improvement  of  the  apple 31 

Executive  committee  and  the  Adams  Act 31 

Expenditure  of  Adams  fund  balances 31 

Canadian  delegates  to  the  conventions  of  the  association 31 

Memorial  to  President  George  W.  Atherton 31 

Memorial  to  Henry  Cullen  Adams 36 

Annual  address  of  the  president  of  the  association 40 

Report  of  committee  on  instruction  in  agriculture 1 46 

Report  of  subcommittee  on  college  courses  in  rural  engineering. _  IT 

Report  of  subcommittee  on  instruction  in  domestic  science 40 

Report  of  committee  on  graduate  study — Graduate  School  of  Agricul- 
ture at  the  University  of  Illinois.  1906 40 

Report  on  the  second  session  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture,  _  51 
Statement    of    receipts    and    disbursements    on    account    of    the 

Graduate  School  of  Agriculture 57 

Meetings  in  connection  with  the  National  Educational  Association 58 

The  Bureau  of  Education  and  the  land-grant  colleges 59 

Scientific  investigation  under  Government  auspices 61,62 

Invitations 01 

Election  of  officers 61 

Increased  appropriations  for  land-grant  colleges 02 

Officers  of  sections  and  members  of  executive  committee 68 

Members  of  standing  committees 68 

Annual  dues 68 

Report  of  committee  on  extension  work 68 

Resolution   regarding   agricultural    extension   work    by    the   Office   of 

Experiment  Stations T3 

Report  of  committee  on  experiment  station  organization  and  policy- _  T4 

Address  of  Assistant  Secretary  of  Agriculture TS 

General  resolutions T9 

Minutes  of  the  sections 81 

Section  on  college  work  and  administration 81 

Relation  of  the  land-grant  college  to  the  public  school  system. __  81 

Student  labor 84 

(5) 


6 

Minutes  of  the  sections — Continued.  Pa^e. 
Section  on  college  work  and  administration — Continued. 

Control  of  student  activities 88 

Organization  of  the  teaching  force  in  land-grant  colleges 88 

ejection  of  officers  of  the  section  and  members  of  the  executive 

committee :♦<> 

Home  economics  in  a  college  course 91 

The  agricultural   college  and  the   State 95 

The  relation  between  the  land-grant  colleges  and  the  mechanical 

industries 97 

Section  on  experiment  station  work : 103 

Kind  and  character  of  work  under  the  Adams  Act 103 

Resolution  regarding  administration  of  the  Adams  Act 111 

Methods  of  experimentation  in  feeding  for  meat  production 111 

Methods  of  experimentation  in  feeding  for  milk  production 115 

Election  of  officers  of  the  section  and  members  of  the  executive 

committee 119 

Problems  of  animal  nutrition 120 

Report  of  committee  on  unification  of  terms  used  in  chemical 

analysis 128 

Index  of  names 131 


ILLUSTRATION. 


rage. 
Fig.  1.  Six  years  of  education  provided  at  the  Connecticut  Agricultural 

College 87 

(<) 


OFFICERS  AND  COMMITTEES  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION. 


President. 
L.  H.  Bailey,  of  New  York. 

Vice-Presidents. 

T.  D.  Boyd,  of  Louisiana  ;  B.  C.  Buffum,  of  Wyoming ; 

M.  A.  Scovell,  of  Kentucky;  R.  W.  Stimson,  of  Connecticut; 

C.  G.  Hopkins,  of  Illinois. 

Secretary  and  Treasurer. 
J.  L.  Hills,  of  Vermont. 

Bibliographer. 
A.  C.  True,  of  Washington.  D.  C. 

Executive  Committee. 
H.  C.  White,  of  Georgia,  Chair.; 
J.  L.  Snyder,  of  Michigan  :  C.  F.  Cubtiss,  of  Iowa  ; 

W.  II.  Jordan,  of  New  York  ;  AY.  E.  Stone,  of  Indiana. 

OFFICERS    OF    SECTIONS. 

Collepe  Work  and  Administration. 
E.  A.  Bryan,  of  Washington.  Chair.;  H.  C.  Price,  of  Ohio,  Seep. 

Programme  Committee,  The  Chairman  and  Secretary. 

Experiment  Station  Work. 
M.  A.  Scovell,  of  Kentucky,  Chair.;  C.  E.  Thorne,  of  Ohio,  Secy. 

Programme  Committee.  H.  J.  Waters,  of  Missouri:   II.  T.  French,  of  Idaho: 

C.  E.  Thorne,  of  Ohio. 

standing  committees. 

Instruction  in  Agriculture. 

For  three  years,  J.  F.  Duggar.  of  Alabama,  and  W.  E.  Stone,  of  Indiana  ;  for 
two  years,  A.  C.  True,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  Chair.,  and  T.  F.  Hunt,  of 
New  York;  for  one  year.  II.  T.  French,  of  Idaho,  and  II.  C.  White,  of 
Georgia. 

Graduate  Study. 

For  three  years,  W.  O.  Thompson,  of  Ohio,  and  Brown  Ayres,  of  Tennessee: 
for  two  years,  L.  H.  Bailey,  of  New  York,  Chair.,  and  H.  P.  Armsby,  of 
Pennsylvania ;  for  one  year,  M.  H.  Buckham,  of  Vermont,  and  R.  H.  Jesse, 
of  Missouri. 

(9) 


10 

Extension    Work. 

For  three  years,  A.  M.  Soule,  of  Virginia,  and  W.  M.  Hays,  of  Washington, 
I  k  C.  ;  for  two  years,  K.  L.  Buttebfield,  of  Rhode  Island.  Chair.,  and  C.  R. 
VAN  IIise,  of  Wisconsin:  for  one  year.  B.  W.  KlLGOBE,  of  North  Carolina, 
and  <\  F.  CUBTISS,  of  Iowa. 

Experiment  station  Organization  <m<l  Policy. 

For  three  years,  M.  A.  SCOVELL,  of  Kentucky,  and  ( J.  E.  Tiiokxe.  of  Ohio:  for 
two  years.  EUGENE  Dayenpokt.  of  Illinois.  Chair.,  and  ('.  I).  Woods,  of 
Maine;  for  one  year,  \V.  A.  Henry,  of  Wisconsin,  and  II.  J.  Waters,  of 
Missouri. 


LIST  OF  DELEGATES  AND  VISITORS  IN  ATTENDANCE. 


Alabama:  C.  C.  Thach  and  J.  F.  Duggar.  delegates;  F.  Duggar,  R.  S.  Mack- 
intosh, and  C.  C.  Thach.  jr..  visitors. 

Arkansas:   J.  N.  Tillman  and  W.  G.  Vincenheller,  delegates. 

California:   B.  I.  Wheeler,  delegate. 

Colorado:   B.  O.  Aylesworth  and  L.  G.  Carpenter,  delegates. 

Connecticut:  R.  W.  Stimson,  L.  A.  Clinton,  and  E.  H.  Jenkins,  delegates;  H.  G. 
Manchester,  visitor. 

Delaware:  H.  Hayward,  delegate. 

Florida:   P.  H.  Rolfs,  delegate. 

Georgia:  H.  C.  White  and  R.  J.  Redding,  delegates;  C.  L.  Willonghby,  Mrs.  C. 
L.  Willonghby.  and  P.  L.  Willonghby.  visitors. 

Idaho:   II.  T.  French,  delegate. 

Illinois:  E.  Davenport  and  C.  G.  Hopkins,  delegates;  I.  Bevier,  H.  A.  Huston. 
H.  W.  Mumford.  F.  H.  Rankin,  and  Mrs.  F.  H.  Rankin,  visitors. 

Indiana:  J.  Troop  and  A.  Goss,  delegates;  J.  H.  Skinner  and  J.  A.  Woodburn. 
visitors. 

Iowa:  A.  B.  Storms,  C.  F.  Curtiss,  and  W.  J.  Kennedy,  delegates;  Mrs.  C.  F. 
Cnrtiss,  Mrs.  W.  J.  Kennedy,  Mrs.  A.  B.  Storms,  and  H.  E.  Summers, 
visitors. 

Kansas:  E.  R.  Nichols  and  C.  W.  Bnrkett,  delegates;  Mrs.  E.  R.  Nichols  and 
R.  C.  Nichols,  visitors. 

Kentucky:  J.  K.  Patterson,  M.  A.  Scovell,  and  H.  Garman.  delegates;  J.  J. 
Hooper,  II.  Vreeland.  and  Mrs.  H.  Vreeland,  visitors. 

Louisiana:  T.  D.  Boyd  and  W.  R.  Dodson,  delegates;  D.  N.  Barrow,  F.  H. 
Bnrnette,  W.  H.  Dalrymple,  Mrs.  C.  H.  Dameron,  H.  R.  Fulton,  J.  E.  Halli- 
gan,  R.  C.  Howell.  H.  J.  Milks,  and  J.  C.  Summers,  visitors. 

Maine:  G.  E.  Fellows  and  C.  D.  Woods,  delegates;  W.  D.  Hurd  and  Mrs.  C.  D. 
Woods,  visitors. 

Maryland:   R.  W.  Silvester,  delegate;  W.  L.  Amoss,  visitor. 

Massachusetts:  K.  L.  Butterfield.  W.  P.  Brooks,  and  J.  L.  Ellsworth,  dele- 
gates; F.  W.  Rane  and  F.  A.  Waugh.  visitors. 

Michigan:  J.  L.  Snyder,  delegate;  W.  J.  Beal  and  L.  R.  Taft,  visitors. 

Minnesota:   S.  B.  Green  and  H.  Snyder,  delegates. 

Mississippi:  J.  C.  Hardy,  W.  L.  Hutchinson,  and  A.  B.  McKay,  delegates; 
E.  R.  Lloyd  and  W.  R.  Perkins,  visitors. 

Missouri:   H.  J.  Waters  and  P.  Evans,  delegates. 

Montana:   F.  B.  Linfield,  delegate. 

Nebraska:   E.  B.  Andrews  and  E.  A.  Burnett,  delegates. 

New  Hampshire:   E.  D.  Sanderson,  delegate. 

New  Jersey:  W.  H.  S.  Demarest  and  E.  B.  Voorhees,  delegates;  W.  S.  Myers, 
visitor. 

New  Mexico:   L.  Foster  and  R.  F.  Hare,  delegates. 

New  York:   L.  H.  Bailey  and  W.  H.  Jordan,  delegates;  B.  von  Herff,  visitor. 

(11) 


12 

North  Carolina:  (\  M.  Conner  and  T.  Butler,  delegates;  R.  s.  Woglnm,  visitor. 

North  Dakota:  J.  II.  Worst  and  J.  II.  Shepperd,  delegates;  Mrs.  J.  II.  Shep- 
perd  and  Mrs.  J.  II.  Worst,  visiters. 

Ohio:  II.  C.  Price,  T.  C.  Laylin.  and  ('.  E.  Thome,  delegates;  Mrs.  T.  0.  Laylin 
and  Mrs.  C.  E.  Thome,  visitors. 

Oklahoma:    W.  L.  English,  delegate. 

Oregon:    1*.  L.  Campbell,  visitor. 

Pennsylvania:  N.  B.  Critchfield  and  II.  P.  Armsby.  delegates;  E.  B.  Engle, 
visitor. 

Porto  Rico:    I).  W.  May.  delegate. 

Rhode  Island:    II.  Edwards  and  II.  J.  Wheeler,  delegates. 

South  Carolina:  P.  II.  Mell,  J.  N.  Harper,  and  C.  L.  Newman,  delegates;  Mrs. 
P.  II.  Mell  and  Mrs.  C.  L.  Newman,  visitors. 

South  Dakota:  R.  L.  Slagle  and  J.  W.  Wilson,  delegates. 

Tennessee:   B.  Ay  res  and  II.  A.  Morgan,  delegates. 

Texas:    H.  II.  Harrington  and  J.  W.  Carson,  delegates;  A.  F.  Conradi,  visitor. 

Utah:   W.  J.  Kerr  and  P.  A.  Yoder,  delegates. 

Vermont:   M.  II.  Ruckham  and  J.  L.  Hills,  delegates. 

Virginia:   A.  M.  Soule,  delegate. 

Washington:   E.  A.  Bryan,  delegate. 

West  Virginia:   I).  R.  Purinton,  delegate. 

Wisconsin:  C.  R.  Van  Hise,  W.  A.  Henry,  G.  C.  Humphrey,  and  E.  P.  Sand- 
sten.  delegates. 

Wyoming:   A.  Nelson  and  R.  C.  Rnffnm,  delegates. 

United  States  Department  of  Agriculture:  W.  M.  Hays,  assistant  secretary, 
delegate ;  A.  C.  True,  delegate ;  E.  W.  Allen,  D.  J.  Croshy  and  J.  Hamilton, 
visitors,  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations;  C.  Curtice  and  R.  II.  Ransom, 
visitors,  of  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry;  E.  C.  Bishopp,  visitor,  of  the 
Bureau  of  Entomology  ;  E.  C.  Chilcott,  C.  S.  Seofield,  and  S.  M.  Tracy,  visi- 
tors, of  the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry. 

Bureau  of  Education:   L.  A.  Kalbach,  delegate. 

Canada:   G.  C.  Creelman,  visitor. 


CONSTITUTION. 


NAME. 

This  association  shall  be  called  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural 
Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations. 

OBJECT. 

The  object  of  this  association  shall  be  the  consideration  and  discussion  of  all 
questions  pertaining  to  the  successful  progress  and  administration  of  the  col- 
leges and  stations  included  in  the  association,  and  to  secure  to  that  end  mutual 
cooperation. 

MEMBERSHIP. 

(1)  Every  college  established  under  the  act  of  Congress  approved  July  2, 
1862,  or  receiving  the  benefits  of  the  act  of  Congress  approved  August  30,  1890, 
and  every  agricultural  experiment  station  established  under  State  or  Con- 
gressional authority,  the  Bureau  of  Education  of  the  Department  of  the  In- 
terior, the  Department  of  Agriculture,  and  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations 
of  the  last-named  Department,  shall  be  eligible  to  membership  in  this  associa- 
tion. 

(2)  Any  institution  a  member  of  the  association  in  full  standing  may  send 
any  number  of  delegates  to  the  meetings  of  the  association.  The  same  dele- 
gate may  represent  both  a  college  and  a  station,  but  shall  vote  in  only  one  sec- 
tion and  shall  cast  only  one  vote  in  general  sessions.  Other  delegates  may  be 
designated  by  any  institution' to  represent  it  in  specified  divisions  of  the  sec- 
tions of  the  association,  but  such  delegates  shall  vote  only  in  such  divisions,  and 
no  institution  shall  be  allowed  more  than  one  vote  in  any  sectional  meeting. 

(3)  Delegates  from  other  institutions  engaged  in  educational  or  experi- 
mental work  in  the  interest  of  agriculture  or  mechanic  arts  may,  by  a  majority 
vote,  be  admitted  to  conventions  of  the  association,  with  all  privileges  except 
the  right  to  vote. 

(4)  In  like  manner,  any  person  engaged  or  directly  interested  in  agriculture 
or  mechanic  arts  who  shall  attend  any  convention  of  this  association  may  be 
admitted  to  similar  privileges. 


(1)  The  association  shall  be  divided  into  two  sections:  (a)  A  section  on  col- 
lege work  and  administration,  (b)  a  section  on  experiment  station  work. 

The  section  on  college  work  and  administration  shall  be  composed  of  the 
presidents  or  acting  presidents  of  colleges  and  universities  represented  in  the 
association,  or  other  representatives  of  such  institutions  duly  and  specifically 
accredited  to  this  section,  and  no  action  on  public  and  administrative  questions 
shall  be  final  without  the  assent  of  this  section. 


(13) 


14 

The  section  on  experiment  station  work  shall  bo  composed  of  the  directors 
or  acting  directors  of  experiment  stations  represented  in  the  association,  or 
of  other  representatives  of  such  stations  duly  and  specifically  accredited  to 
this  section. 

(2)  Members  Of  these  two  sections  (and  no  others)  shall  he  entitled  to  vote 
both  in  genera]  sessions  and  in  the  section  to  which  they  respectively  belong. 

The  representative  appointed  by  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  shall 
he  assigned  to  the  section  on  college  work  and  administration;  the  representa- 
tive of  tlie  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  to  the  section  on  experiment  station 
work:  and  the  representative  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 
to  either  section  as  he  may  elect  and  the  section  by  vote  authorize:  hut  such 
election  once  made  and  authorized  may  not  he  changed  during  the  sessions 
of  a  given  convention. 

Each  section  may  create  such  divisions  as  it  may  from  time  to  time  find 
desirable,  and  shall  elect  its  own  chairman  and  secretary  for  sectional  meetings, 
whose  names  shall  be  reported  to  the  association  for  record. 

(3)  Each  section  shall  conduct  its  own  proceedings,  and  shall  keep  a  record 
of  the  same,  and  no  action  of  a  section,  by  resolution  or  otherwise,  shall  be. valid 
until  the  same  shall  have  been  ratified  by  the  association  in  general  session, 
and  in  the  case  provided  for  in  the  foregoing  paragraph  (1)  shall  also  have 
been  approved  by  the  section  on  college  work  and  administration. 

MEETINGS. 

(1)  This  association  shall  hold  at  least  one  meeting  in  every  calendar  year. 
to  be  designated  as  the  annual  convention  of  the  association.  Special  meet- 
ings may  be  held  at  other  times,  upon  the  call  of  the  executive  committee,  for 
purposes  to  be  specified  in  the  call. 

(2)  The  annual  convention  of  the  association  shall  comprise  general  sessions 
and  meetings  of  the  sections,  and  provision  shall  be  made  therefor  in  the 
programme.  Unless  otherwise  determined  by  vote,  the  association  will  meet 
in  general  session  in  the  forenoons  and  evenings  of  the  convention  and  the 
sections  in  the  afternoons. 

OFFICERS. 

(1)  The  general  officers  of  this  association,  to  be  chosen  annually,  shall  be 
a  president,  five  vice-presidents,  a  bibliographer,  and  a  secretary,  who  shall 
also  be  treasurer;  and  an  executive  committee  of  five  members,  three  of  whom 
shall  be  chosen  by  the  section  on  college  work  and  administration  and  two 
by  the  section  on  experiment  station  work:  Provided,  however,  That  a  member 
chosen  by  either  section  need  not  be  a  member  of  that  section.  The  executive 
committee  shall  choose  its  own  chairman. 

(2)  Each  section  shall,  by  ballot,  nominate  to  the  association  in  general 
session  for  its  action,  a  chairman  and  a  secretary  for  such  section. 

(.'{)  The  president,  vice-presidents,  secretary,  and  bibliographer  of  this  asso- 
ciation shall  be  elected  by  ballot  upon  nomination  made  upon  the  floor  of  the 
convention,  and  shall  hold  office  from  the  close  of  the  convention  at  which  they 
are  elected  until  thejr  successors  shall  be  chosen. 

(4)  Any  person  being  an  accredited  delegate  to  an  animal  meeting  of  the 
association,  or  an  officer  of  an  institution  which  is  a  member  of  the  association 
iu  full  standing  at  tbe  time  of  election,  shall  be  eligible  to  office. 


15 

DUTIES    OF    OFFICERS. 

(1)  The  officers  of  the  association  shall  perform  the  duties  which  usually 
devolve  upon  their  respective  offices. 

(2)  The  president  shall  deliver  an  address  at  the  annual  convention  before 
the  association  in  general  session. 

(3)  The  executive  committee  shall  determine  the  time  and  place  of  the 
annual  conventions  and  other  meetings  of  the  association,  and  shall,  between 
such  conventions  and  meetings,  act  for  the  association  in  all  matters  of  busi- 
ness. It  shall  issue  its  call  for  the  annual  conventions  of  the  association  not 
less  than  sixty  days  before  the  date  on  which  they  are  to  be  held,  and  for 
special  meetings  not  less  than  ten  days  before  such  date.  It  shall  be  charged 
with  the  general  arrangements  and  conduct  of  all  meetings  called  by  it.  It 
shall  designate  the  time  and  place  of  the  convention  ;  it  shall  present  a  well- 
prepared  order  of  business — of  subjects  for  discussion — and  shall  provide  and 
arrange  for  the  meetings  of  the  several  sections.  The  subjects  provided  for 
consideration  by  each  section  at  any  convention  of  the  association  shall  con- 
centrate the  deliberations  of  the  sections  upon  not  more  than  two  lines  of  discus- 
sion, which  lines,  as  far  as  possible,  shall  be  related.  Not  more  than  one- 
third  of  the  working  time  of  any  annual  convention  of  the  association  shall 
be  confined  to  miscellaneous  business. 

FINANCES. 

At  every  annual  convention  the  association,  in  general  session,  shall  provide 
for  obtaining  the  funds  necessary  for  its  legitimate  expenses,  and  may.  In- 
appropriate action,  call  for  contributions  upon  the  several  institutions  eligible 
to  membership :  and  no  institution  shall  be  entitled  to  representation  or  partici- 
pation in  the  benefits  of  the  association  unless  such  institution  shall  have  made 
the  designated  contribution  for  the  year  previous  to  that  in  and  for  which  such 
question  of  privilege  shall  arise,  or  shall  have  said  payment  remitted  by  the 
unanimous  vote  of  the  executive  committee. 

AMENDMENTS. 

This  constitution  may  be  amended  at  any  regular  convention  of  the  associa- 
tion by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the  delegates  present,  if  the  number  constitute  a 
quorum  :  Provided,  That  notice  of  any  proposed  amendment,  together  with  the 
full  text  thereof  and  the  name  of  the  mover,  shall  have  been  given  at  the  next 
preceding  annual  convention  and  repeated  in  the  call  for  the  convention.  Every 
such  proposition  of  amendment  shall  be  subject  to  modification  or  amendment 
in  the  same  manner  as  other  propositions,  and  the  final  vote  on  the  adoption 
or  rejection  shall  be  taken  by  yeas  and  nays  of  the  institutions  then  and  there 
represented. 

RULES   OF   ORDER. 

(1)  The  executive  committee  shall  be  charged  with  the  order  of  business, 
subject  to  special  action  of  the  convention,  and  this  committee  may  report  at 
any  time. 

(2)  All  business  or  topics  proposed  for  discussion  and  all  resolutions  sub- 
mitted for  consideration  of  the  convention  shall  be  read  and  then  referred,  with- 
out debate,  to  the  executive  committee,  to  be  assigned  positions  on  the  pro- 
gramme. 

(3)  Speakers  invited  to  open  discussion  shall  be  entitled  to  twenty  minutes 
each. 

26140— No.  184—07  m 2 


16 

(4)  In  general  discussions  the  ten-minute  rule  shall  be  enforced, 

(5)  No  speaker  shall  be  recognized  a  second  time  on  any  one  subject  while 

any  delegate  who  has  not  spoken  thereon  desires  to  do  so. 

(6)  The  hours  of  meeting  and  adjournment  adopted  with  the  general  pro- 
gramme shall  ho  closely  observed,  unless  changed  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the 
delegates  present. 

(7)  The  presiding  officer  shall  enforce  the  parliamentary  rules  usual  in  such 
assemblies  and  not  inconsistent  with  the  foregoing. 

(8)  Vacancies  which  may  arise  in  the  membership  of  standing  committees 
by  death,  resignation,  or  separation  from  the  association  of  members  shall  be 
filled  by  the  committees,  respectively. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  OF  AMERICAN  AGRI- 
CULTURAL COLLEGES  ANT)  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  GENERAL  SESSION. 


Morning  Session,  Wednesday.  November  14.  1906. 

The  convention  was  called  to  order  at  10  o'clock  a.  in.,  at  the  Istrouma  Hotel. 
Baton  Rouge,  by  the  president.  M.  H.  Buekham. 

The  proceedings  were  opened  with  prayer  by  the  Rev.  Louis  Tucker,  of  Baton 
Rouge. 

After  the  call  of  the  roll  of  States  the  report  of  the  executive  committee  was 
presented  by  the  chairman  of  the  committee.  H.  C.  White,  of  Georgia,  as  follows: 

Report  of  the  Executive  Committee. 

The  executive  committee  appointed  at  the  nineteenth  annual  convention  of 
the  association  held  at  Washington.  D.  C,  November  14—10.  1905,  met  immedi- 
ately upon  adjournment  of  the  convention  and  organized  by  the  selection  of 
President  H.  C.  White,  of  Georgia,  as  chairman.  An  abstract  memorandum 
of  the  proceedings  of  the  convention  of  1905  was  prepared  by  the  chairman 
and  posted  to  each  member  of  the  association  under  date  of  December  10.  1905. 
The  proceedings  in  full  were  edited  by  the  chairman  and  placed  in  the  hands 
of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations.  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  for  pub- 
lication January  10.  1906.  Eight  subsequent  meetings  of  the  committee  were 
held  :  At  Washington,  D.  C.  December  1-2.  1905 :  January  20.  February  12-13. 
March  .30.  April  10,  and  June  10,  and  at  Baton  Rouge,  La.,  November  13,  190G. 
Individual  members  of  the  committee  made  other  visits  to  Washington  in  the 
interest  of  the  association.  Ten  circulars  of  information  were  issued  and  posted 
to  members  of  the  association.  The  final  call  for  the  present  (twentieth)  annmal 
convention  was  issued  August  2.  and  the  programme  for  the  convention,  as 
prepared  by  the  committee.  November  1,  1906. 

The  last  convention,  by  unanimous  and  enthusiastic  vote,  requested  the  execu- 
tive committee  to  consider  favorably  an  invitation  to  hold  the  present  conven- 
tion in  California  immediately  preceding  the  proposed  annual  meeting  of  the 
National  Educational  Association  in  that  State.  Immediately  after  the  ad- 
journment of  the  convention  the  committee  on  graduate  study  addressed  a 
formal  communication  to  the  executive  committee,  stating  the  belief  that  a 
meeting  of  the  association  in  California  at  the  time  proposed  would  interfere 
seriously  with  the  graduate  school,  which  the  association  had  authorized  and 
the  committee  had  undertaken,  to  be  held  at  the  University  of  Illinois  in  July. 
1900.  This  communication  was  submitted  by  circular  to  the  members  of  the 
association,  with  request  for  expression  of  opinion,  in  view  of  the  conflicting 
instructions  of  the  convention.  After  careful  consideration  of  the  replies  received, 
the  executive  committee  advised  the  committee  on  graduate  study  to  proceed 
with  arrangements  for  the  graduate  school  in  July,  and  decided  to  hold  the  con- 
vention in  California  in  August.  Considerable  trouble  and  delay  were  ex- 
perienced in  securing  satisfactory  railroad  rates,  but,  this  finally  accomplished, 

(17) 


18 

a  call  was  issued  April  6  for  the  convention  of  1906  in  California,  beginning 
August  8.  The  disastrous  calamities  of  earthquake  and  fire  on  the  Pacific 
•  oast    April    18,    Involving   the   abandonment   of   the   proposed    meeting   of    the 

National  Educational  Association,  made  necessary  the  withdrawal  of  this  call 
May  14.  with  the  reluctant  consent  of  our  intending  hosts  in  California,  and 
the  decision  was  then  reached  to  accept  the  courteous  invitation  of  the  authori- 
ties of  Louisiana,  of  Baton  Rouge,  and  the  Louisiana  State  University,  to  hold 
the  convention  in  Baton  Rouge  in  November. 

The  most  noteworthy  event  of  the  year  was  the  final  passage  by  Congress  of 
the  Adams  hill  (approved  March  1<;.  1906)  to  increase  the  annual  appropriations 
to  the  agricultural  experiment  stations.  Your  committee  had  several  confer- 
ences with  Mr.  Adams  before  and  during  the  session  of  Congress,  and  the  terms 
of  the  act  as  approved  are,  it  is  hoped,  satisfactory  to  members  of  the  associa- 
tion. Mr.  Adams  gave  himself  unsparingly  to  the  advocacy  of  the  bill,  your 
committee  aided  him  to  the  full  extent  of  its  ability,  and  members  of  the  asso- 
ciation responded  promptly  and  efficiently  to  the  requests  of  the  committee  to 
make  known  to  members  of  Congress  the  merits  of  the  measure.  The  extent  to 
which  it  commended  itself  to  the  statesmanship  of  the  nation  is  shown  in  the 
fact  that  not  one  vote  was  recorded  against  its  passage  in  either  House  of 
Congress,  and  it  was  immediately  approved  by  the  President  when  submitted  to 
him  for  consideration. 

A  question  of  interpretation  of  the  clause  of  the  act  indicating  the  first  fiscal 
year  for  which  the  appropriations  were  provided  arose  in  the  office  of  the 
Comptroller  of  the  Treasury.  "To  cure  any  possible  defect  and  to  make  plain 
the  intent  of  the  act.  Mr.  Adams  proposed  a  declaratory  amendment  to  the 
appropriation  bill  for  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  then  pending  in  the  Senate. 
The  Secretary  of  Agriculture  heartily  approved  the  amendment,  drafted  it  in 
proper  form,  and  submitted  it.  with  his  official  approval,  to  the  Senate  com- 
mittee. The  Senate  bill  was  delayed  in  passage  by  the  discussion  which  arose 
in  connection  with  the  meat-inspection  provisions  which  it  carried,  but  finally 
passed  Congress  with  the  declaratory  amendment,  as  submitted  by  the  Secretary 
of  Agriculture,  on  June  80.  The  appropriations  provided  by  the  Adams  Act  for 
the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1906,  were  duly  paid  over  to  the  stations  by  the 
Treasury  shortly  thereafter.  The  attention  of  the  association  is  called  to  the 
important  fact  that  the  present  Comptroller  of  the  Treasury  has,  furthermore, 
expressed  the  opinion  that  the  terms  of  the  Adams  Act  do  not  provide  for  appro- 
priations beyond  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1011.  Unless  this  ruling  shall 
!>e  changed  in  the  interim  it  will  behoove  the  representatives  of  the  association 
to  be  vigilant  at  the  proper  time  to  secure  necessary  Congressional  action  to 
continue  the  appropriations.  This  should  not  be  difficult,  as  it  would  probably 
involve  only  maintaining  the  maximum  amount  in  the  regular  appropriation 
bill  carrying  the  appropriations  to  the  stations.  In  this  connection  it  may  be 
proper  to  report  that  your  committee  became  aware  of  a  strong  sentiment  in 
Congress  favorable  to  the  repeal  of  the  so-called  "continuing  appropriations" 
acts — those  making  "permanent  and  indefinite  appropriations."  A  bill  to  this 
effect  (II.  R.  8991)  was  introduced  December  IS.  1905,  by  Hon.  James  A.  Taw- 
ney,  chairman  of  the  House  Committee  on  Appropriations.  Your  committee  is 
uncertain  of  the  probable  effect  of  such  repeal  upon  the  Hatch  Act.  the  Morrill 
(1800)  Act.  and  the  Adams  Act.  but  it  might  involve  the  necessity  for  specific 
action  by  Congress,  either  once  for  all  or  at  each  session,  to  protect  the  appro- 
priations made  by  them.  Your  committee  communicated  immediately  with  Mr. 
Tawney,  asking  an  opportunity  to  be  heard  in  favor  of  exempting  the  acts 
named  from  the  operation  of  his  bill  when  it  should  be  considered  in  committee. 
Other  important  matters  prevented  such  consideration  during  the  last  session  of 
Congress,  but  your  committee  is  assured  that  a  hearing  will  be  granted  before 
the  bill  is  reported  from  committee.  Attention  should  be  given  at  the  proper 
time  by  the  representatives  of  the  association  to  this  important  matter. 

Obeying  the  instructions  of  the  association  given  at  the  last  annual  conven- 
tion, "to  safeguard  the  interests  of  all  *  *  *  measures"  in  Congress 
affecting  the  association,  "but  to  concentrate  its  efforts  at  any  particular 
session  upon  the  bill  or  bills  which  may  seem  to  be  in  the  most  favorable  con- 
dition for  passage."  your  committee  devoted  its  energies  chiefly  to  securing 
the  passage  of  the  Adams  Ad  at  the  last  session  of  Congress.  Mr.  Mondell  re- 
introduced the  mining  school  bill,  and  the  committee  cooperated  actively  with 
him   in  efforts  to  obtain  consideration  for  the  bill.     The  mutual  endeavors  were. 


a  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  Bui.  104.  p.  40. 


19 

however,  without  avail.  The  bill,  in  the  form  familiar  to  the  association,  is 
still  on  the  Union  Calendar  of  the  House,  and  may  receive  consideration  at  the 
short  session  of  Congress  beginning  in  December. 

Mindful  of  the  interest  expressed  by  resolution  of  the  association"  in  the 
establishment  of  forestry  instruction  in  the  land-grant  colleges,  your  com- 
mittee conferred  with  the  chief  officers  of  the  Forest  Service  and  others  in- 
terested in  the  matter,  and  suggested  the  abandonment  of  a  pending  bill  in  this 
interest  aud  a  substitute  modification  of  the  Mondell  bill  to  provide  for  forestry 
instruction.  The  suggestion  was  favorably  received,  but  the  great  pressure  of 
other  important  business  in  Congress  has  caused  the  whole  matter  to  lie  in 
abeyance.     It  may  be  taken  up  again  at  the  pleasure  of  the  association. 

In  appearance  before  Congressional  committees  in  connection  with  the 
Adams  bill  and  on  other  appropriate  occasions,  your  committee  took  care  "  to 
request  Congress  to  continue  the  policy  that  it  has  adopted  in  the  Morrill 
bill,  the  supplementary  bill,  and  the  Hatch  Act.  according  to  the  lines  there 
laid  down,"'  and  also  to  present  "  the  claims  of  the  experiment  stations  to  the 
proper  support  and  consideration  of  Congress.*'  as  instructed  by  the  associa- 
tion.*>  Your  committee  also  advocated  that  authority  be  given  the  Office  of 
Experiment  Stations  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  to  carry  on  "  its  work 
of  promoting  the  cause  of  agricultural  education  in  the  United  States."^  Due 
attention  was  also  given  to  proposed  legislation  affecting  the  interests  of  the 
association,  as,  for  example,  the  bills  introduced  simultaneously  in  the  Senate 
and  House  proposing  appropriations  to  State  normal  schools  for  agricultural 
education.  Fortunately,  perhaps,  the  major  portion  of  such  proposed  legislation 
rarely  reaches  the  stage  which  may  be  regarded  as  hopeful,  or  dangerous,  ac- 
cording to  the  point  of  view. 

Very  important  questions  which  may  arise  in  connection  with  the  administra- 
tion and  use  of  the  Adams  funds  have  had  the  serious  consideration  of  your 
committee.  They  have  also  engaged  the  attention  of  the  association's  standing 
committee  on  station  organization  and  policy.  The  report  of  the  latter  com- 
mittee to  be  made  to  this  convention  will  probably  deal  with  some  of  these 
'itiestions.  It  is  recommended  that  in  the  discussion  of  that  report  a  full  and 
free  expression  of  views  be  given  by  members  of  the  association  to  the  end 
that  the  important  and  useful  work  of  the  agricultural  experiment  stations  in 
the  several  States  may  gain  greatest  value  from  the  additions  now  made  to  their 
resources.  The  Director  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  of  the  U.  S. 
Department  of  Agriculture,  who  has  been  designated  to  represent  the  Secre- 
tary of  Agriculture  in  so  much  of  the  administration  of  the  Adams  Act  as  per- 
tains to  Federal  authority,  is  a  member  of  tins  association,  and  will  no  doubt 
contribute  much  of  value  to  the  discussion. 

Proper  initiative  steps  were  taken  by  your  committee  to  secure  the  creation 
of  a  department  on  rural  education  in  the  National  Educational  Association.^ 
It  was  ascertained  that  it  was  necessary  to  secure  the  signatures  of  not  less  than 
twenty  active  members  of  the  National  Educational  Association  to  a  memorial 
requesting  the  consent  of  the  council  of  the  association  to  the  formation  of  a 
new  department  as  indicated,  to  be  presented  to  the  council  immediately  in 
advance  of  an  annual  meeting  of  the  association.  The  memorial  was  prepared 
and  copies  distributed  for  signature*.  In  this  matter  your  committee  was  for- 
tunate to  secure  the  valuable  services  of  Mr.  Dick  J.  Crosby,  of  the  Office  of 
Experiment  Stations,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  who  conducted 
all  the  correspondence  and  cared  for  all  details  Involved.  The  abandonment  of 
the  1906  meeting  of  the  National  Educational  Association  made  it  unnecessary 
to  proceed  further  in  the  matter  at  that  time.  Your  committee  would  ask  the 
association  to  consider  whether  it  would  not  be  wise  to  instruct  the  executive 
committee  to  present  the  memorial  to  the  council  of  the  National  Educational 
Association  only  at  a  time  when  it  is  assured  that  a  sufficient  number  of  members 
of  this  association  or  others  equally  interested  in  the  subject  are  present  at  the 
meeting  of  the  National  Educational  Association  to  insure  the  success  and  value 
of  the  proposed  new  department. 

In  December.  1905.  your  committee,  through  the  chairman,  addressed  a  com- 
munication to  President  Henry  S.  Pritchett.  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Car- 
negie Foundation  for  the  Advancement  of  Teaching,  asking  the  board  respect- 


"  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr..  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  Bui.  164,  p.  5& 
&  Ibid.,  p.  40. 
'•  Ibid.,  p.  50. 
d  Ibid.,  p.  47. 


20 

fully  to  consider  the  propriety  and  advisability  of  including  the  land-grant 
colleges  among  the  beneficiary  institutions  of  the  Foundation.  A  courteous 
reply  explained  that  the  trustees  were  not  then  prepared  to  consider  the  matter. 
I'lider  date  of  September  28,  1906,  however.  President  Pritchett  has  written  the 
chairman  that  the  board  of  trustees  will  consider  the  question  of  extending  the 
benefits  of  the  Foundation  at  a  meeting  to  he  held  in  New  York  City,  November 
21,  1906,  and  at  that  time  they  would  he  glad  to  receive  a  statement  from  the 
land-grant  colleges  and  hear  from  their  representative  in  person,  if  desired.  In 
view  of  the  near  approach  of  the  date  indicated,  your  committee  has  prepared  a 
statement  setting  forth  the  reasons  why.  in  its  judgment,  the  land-grant  colleges 
might  properly  share  in  the  benefits  of  the  Foundation.  The  association  is  asked 
to  determine  at  this  convention  whether  and  in  what  manner  this  or  a  similar 
statement  shall  he  presented  to  the  hoard  of  trustees  of  the  Carnegie  Foundation 
on  November  21.  Your  committee  extended  a  cordial  invitation  to  President 
Pritchett  to  attend  this  convention  of  the  association,  and  greatly  regret  that 
other  engagements  prevent  his  acceptance  of  the  invitation. 

For  the  third  consecutive  year  it  is  the  sorrowful  duty  of  your  committee  to 
announce  to  the  association  the  death  of  one  of  its  distinguished  founders. 
Following  fast  the  demise  of  Major  Alvord  in  1004  and  of  President  Goodell  in 
]'.u'~>.  President  George  W.  Atherton.  of  Pennsylvania,  departed  this  life  July 
24.  1906.  Foremost  among  those  who  organized  this  association:  ever  chief 
among  the  wisest  of  its  councillors  :  its  first  president  and  continued  in  office  for 
several  terms  by  unanimous  desire:  member  for  many  years  of  its  executive 
committee ;  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  association  and  its  purposes,  and 
lavish  in  his  expenditure  of  personal  effort  in  its  service,  his  departure  from  our 
ranks  is  a  personal  grief  and  the  occasion  of  sorrowful  regret  to  each  member 
of  this  body. 

With  this  sad  announcement  of  the  death  of  the  first  member  of  the  associa- 
tion must  he  linked  that  of  its  latest  benefactor.  Hon.  Henry  Cullen  Adams,  of 
Wisconsin,  author  and  achiever  of  the  latest  national  legislation  in  benefaction 
of  agricultural  research  and  agricultural  progress,  died  on  July  9,  1906,  only  a 
few  weeks  after  the  approval  of  the  great  act  which  will  forever  bear  his  name. 
There  is  little  doubt  that  his  incessant  labors  in  behalf  of  this  beneficent  legis- 
lation entailed  the  strain  which  brought  his  frail  physical  powers  to  the  breaking 
point.  "Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for 
his  friends." 

Your  committee  has  thought  it  eminently  appropriate  that  the  names  of  these 
two  great  and  worthy  men  should  he  joined  in  an  hour  set  apart  during  the 
proceedings  of  this  convention  to  an  expression  of  respect  and  esteem  for  their 
gracious  memories. 

The  finances  of  the  association  have  been  economically  administered,  all  obli- 
gations met,  and  a  satisfactory  balance  left  in  the  treasury. 

Respectfully  submitted  for  the  committee. 

H.  C.  White,  Chairman. 

On  motion,  the  report  was  received  and  ordered  placed  on  file. 
Carnegie  Foundation. 

On  motion  of  G.  E.  Fellows,  of  Maine,  the  chairman  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee was  selected  as  a  delegate  to  represent  the  land-grant  colleges  at  the 
meeting  of  the  trustees  of  tile  Carnegie  Foundation  for  the  Advancement  of 
Teaching  November  21,  1906, 

Report  of  Treasurer. 

J.  L.  Hills,  of  Vermont,  secretary  ami  treasurer  of  the  association,  presented 
the  following  report : 

Report  of  treasurer,  November  1).  1905,  to  November  l).  mot!. 

Cash  on   hand  at  Washington  meeting $99.1.87 

Dues    received 1,500.00 

Total    _„ 2,495.87 

Disbursements     , 1,  537.  49 

Balance  In  bank   November   14.   190G • 958.38 


21 

Classification  of  disbursements: 

Executive  committee sl-  230.  53 

Committee  on  station  organization 172.36 

Secretary-treasurer,   stationery,   postage,    telegrams 35.35 

Stenographer.    Washington 74.  25 

Wreath,  funeral  Congressman  Adams 25.  00 

Total , 1,  537.  49 


Joseph  L.   Hills,  treasurer  Association  of  American   Agricultural   Colleges   a 
Experiment    Stations,    in   account   with   Graduate   School   of   Agriculture   si 


and 
sub- 
scription fund.  1905-6. 


Receipts  : 

Subscriptions  for  1905—22 $550.00 

Subscriptions  for  1900 — 10 400.00 

Total 950.  00 

Disbursements  : 

$59.  16 

Expenses  committee  on  graduate  school. 


\     53. 30 
I     13. 02 


127. 48 

„   . ,  T,    .         ..        .  T11.      .  f   487.54 

Paid  University  of  Illinois <    ^.^  gg 

■  822. 52 

Total    950.  00 

Joseph   L.   Hills,  treasurer  Association  of  American  Agricultural   Colleges  and 

Experiment  Stations,  in  account  with  Adams  testimonial  fund: 

Receipts  from  28  individuals $50.00 

Disbursements   to   28   individuals 56.00 

The  report  was  referred  to  the  auditing  committee,  consisting  of  R.  W. 
Stimson.  of  Connecticut:  J.  E.  Duggar.  of  Alabama,  and  L.  G.  Carpenter,  of 
Colorado,  which  later  reported  as  follows  : 

The  committee  appointed  for  auditing  the  accounts  of  the  treasurer  have — 

(1)  Examined  the  original  vouchers  and  found  them  properly  approved  and 
receipted. 

(2)  Compared  the  vouchers  with  the  checks  and  the  books  and  found  the 
amounts  exactly  to  coincide. 

(3)  Examined  the  balances  as  stated  and  found  them  correct. 

The  committee  commends  the  excellent  order  with  which  the  work  of  the 
treasurer  is  conducted  and  the  accounts  of  the  committees  and  members  of 
committees  are  rendered. 

The  report  was  approved. 

Report  of  the  Bibliographer. 

A.  C.  True,  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations,  submitted  the  following 
report : 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  reference  lists  which  have  heretofore  made  up  the 
report  of  the  bibliographer  are  now  noted  from  time  to  time  in  the  Experiment 
Station  Record  and  indexed  together  under  the  word  "  Bibliography  "  in  the  an- 
nual subject  index  of  that  journal,  it  is  deemed  unnecessary  to  continue  to  include 
such  lists  in  reports  to  this  association.  The  bibliographer  therefore  submits 
as  his  report  this  year  as  complete  a  list  of  books  written  by  agricultural  college 
and  experiment  station  officers  as  he  has  been  able  to  prepare  with  the  means  at 
his  command,  believing  that  such  a  list  will  be  of  interest  and  value  as  showing 
the  large  and  creditable  contribution  of  agricultural  colleges  and  experiment 


22 

stations  of  this  country  to  the  literature  of  scientific  agriculture  in  its  more 
finished  and  permanent  form. 

The  list  comprises  389  titles  of  hooks,  the  work  of  198  men  and  women  now  or 
at  one  time  connected  with  agricultural  colleges  and  experiment  stations  in  the 
United  States.  It  includes  hooks  on  practically  all  phases  of  agriculture  and 
allied  sciences,  as  well  as  a  few  hooks  on  other  subjects. 

This  list  is  in  a  sense  supplementary  to  the  very  instructive  article  on  the 
"Development  of  the  Text-hook  of  Agriculture  in  North  America."  contributed 
by  Dean  Bailey  to  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  for 
1903,  pages  689-712,  the  two  together  showing  in  a  very  striking  manner  the 
rapid  progress  which  has  been  made  in  this  country  in  building  up  a  substantial 
body  of  agricultural  literature  suited  to  American  conditions. 

HOOKS    I5V    AGRICULTURAL    COLLEGE    AND    EXPERIM  KNT-STATION    OFFICERS. 

[Books  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*)  are  now  in  the  Office  of  Experiment 
Stations  collection;  of  those  marked  with  an  asterisk  and  a  dagger  (*f)  the 
earlier  hut  not  latest  editions  are  in  the  collection. 1 

*  Anderson,  Leroy.     Influences  affecting  milk  production.     Ithaca.  X.  Y..  1902. 
*Armsry,  Henry  P.     Manual  of  cattle  feeding.     New  York  and  London.  ISPS. 

* .     Principles  of  animal  nutrition.     New  York  and  London,  1903. 

Arthur.  J.  C.     Laboratory  exercises  in  vegetable  physiology.     Lafayette,    Ind.. 

1897. 

,  Collaborator.     The  book  of  corn.     New  York,  1903. 

.  and  MacDougal,  D.  T.     Living  plants  and  their  properties.      New  York. 

1898. 

Barnes.  C.  K.,  and  Coulter.  J.  M.     Handbook  of  plant  dissection.     New 


York,  1886. 

Atkeson,  T.  C.     Bookkeeping  for  farmers.     New  York.  1894. 
Atkinson,  George  E.     A  college  text-book  of  botany.     New  York.  1905. 

* .     Biology  of  ferns.     New  York  and  London.  1894. 

*t .     Elementary  botany.     New  York,  1905. 

* .     First  studies  of  plant  life.     Boston.  1903. 

.     First  studies  of  plant  life.      (Edited  for  use  in  English  schools  by  Miss 

E.  M.  Wood.)      Boston  and  London,  1905. 

* .     Lessons  in  botany.     New  York,  1900. 

* .     Studies  of  American  fungi ;  mushrooms,  edible,  poisonous,  etc.     New 


York,  1903. 

and  Stoneman.  Bertha.     Provisional  key  to  the  genera  of  Hymenomy 


cetes  (mushrooms,  toadstools,  etc.).     Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  1898. 

Avert,  Samuel.     Sec  Nicholson,  II.  II. 

Barcock,  S.  M.     Sec  Caldwell,  G.  C. 

Bailey.  L.  II.     Agricultural  education  in  New.  York  State.     Ithaca.  N.  Y..  1904. 

.     American  grape  training.     New  York,  1893. 

* .     Annals  of  horticulture  in  North  America.     New  York.  1890-1894. 

* .     Botany.     New  York  and  London,  19<>.">. 

.     Crossdtreeding  and  hybridizing.     New  York.  1891. 

* .     Field  notes  on  apple  culture.     New  York.  1899. 

* .     First  lessons  with  plants.     New  York  and  London.  1898. 

* .     Garden  making.     New  York  and  London,  1899. 

* .     Gray's  field,  forest,  and  garden  botany.     New  York.  Cincinnati.  Chi- 
cago, 1895. 

* .     Lessons  with  plants.     New  Y'ork  and  London.  1899. 

.     Nature  portraits.     New  York,  1902. 

— .     Philosophy  of  the  crossing  of  plants  considered   in   reference   to   their 
improvement   under  cultivation.     Boston,  1892. 

— .     Plant-breeding.      New  York  and   London,    1906. 

[Plant-breeding — French.]     La    production   des   plantes;    cinq    legons 


sur  I'ameiioration  de  plantes  cultivees ;  traduit  de  t'anglais  par  J.  M.  et  E. 

Barraca.    Paris.  1901. 

*t .     Principles  of  agriculture.     New  York  and  London.  1903. 

*t .     Principles  of  fruit  growing.     New  York  and  London,  1904. 

.     Principles  of  vegetable  gardening.     New  York  and  London.  1904. 

* .     Talks  afield.     Boston,  1890. 

* .     The  evolution  of  our  native  fruits.      New  York  and  London.  1S98. 

*f .     The  forcing  book.     New  York  and  London,  1903. 


23 

^Bailey,  L.  H.     The  horticulturist's  rule  hook'.     New  York  and  London,  1904. 

* .     The  nature  study  idea.     New  York.  1003. 

*f .     The  nursery  book.     New  York  and  London,  1903. 

.     The  outlook  to  nature.     New  York  and  London,  1905. 

**- .     The  pruning  book.     New  York  and  London,  1003. 

* .     The  survival  of  the  unlike.     New  York  and  London.  1800. 

,  Editor.     Cyclopedia  of  American  horticulture.     Now  York.  1906. 

.   and  IIunn,   C.   E.     Amateur's  practical   garden   book.     New   York   and 

London,  1000. 
Barnes.  C.  R.     See  Arthur,  J.  C. 

.     See  IIeald,  Frederick  De  Forest. 

Beach,  S.  A.,  et  al.     The  apples  of  New  York.     Albany.  N.  Y.,  1905,  1*  vols. 

*Beal,  W.  J.     Grasses  of  North  America.     Now  York,  1896. 

.     Michigan  flora  :  A  list  of  the  fern  and  seed  plants  growing  without 

cultivation.     Lansing,    1004. 
— .     Seed  dispersal.     Boston,  1808. 
The  new  botany.     New  York,  1800. 


Beattie,  R.  K.     Sec  Piper,  O.  Y. 

Benedict.  Francis  Gano.     Elementary  organic  analysis;    the  determination  of 
carbon  and  hydrogen.     Easton.  Pa.,  1000. 

*Bennett,  Alfred  A.     Inorganic  chemistry.     New  York,  Boston,   and  Chicago, 
1802,  pt.  1 ;    1804.  pt.  2. 

Bessey,  C.  E.     Botany  for  high  schools  and  colleges.     New  York,  1888. 

.     Elementary    botany,    including    a    manual    of   the    common    genera    of 

Nebraska  plants.     Lincoln,  Nebr.,  1004. 

.     McNab's   botany  ;    outlines  of   morphology,   physiology,   and   classifica- 
tion of  plants.     New  York,  1881. 
— .     The  essentials  of  botany.     New  York,  1800. 

-,  Bruner,  L.,  and  Swezey,  G.  D.     New  elementary  agriculture  for  rural 


and  graded  school.     Lincoln,  Nebr.,  1003. 
Blair,  Margaret  J.     Manual  of  exercises  in  hand  sewing.     St.  Paul.  Minn..l00.r>. 

.     System  of  sewing  and  garment  drafting.     St.  Paul,  Minn..  100."). 

Breneman,  A.  A.     See  Caldwell,  G.  C. 

"Brooks.  William  P.     Agriculture.     Springfield.  Mass.,  1003. 

Bruner,  L.     *SVc  Bessey,  C.  E. 

Budd,.  J.  L..  and  Hansen,  N.  E.     American  horticultural   manual.     New  York 

and  London,  1903. 
Burkett,  Charles  W.     Cotton.     New  York.  100G. 
.     History   of   Ohio   agriculture :    ;i    treatise   on   the   development   of   the 

various  lines  and  phases  of  farm  life  in  Ohio.     Concord,  N.  H.,  1000. 
* ,  Stevens,  Frank  L..  and  Hill,  Daniel  H.     Agriculture  for  beginners. 

Boston  and  London,  1003. 
Caldwell,  G.  C.     Agricultural,  qualitative  and  quantitative  chemical  analysis 

after  E.  Wolff,  Presenilis,  Krocker  et  al.     New  York,  1800. 
■ — .     Elements   of   qualitative   and   quantitative    chemical    analysis.     Phila- 
delphia. 1804. 
.     Notes    on    chemical    analysis,    to    accompany    Caldwell    and    Babeook's 

manual  of  qualitative  analysis.     Ithaca.  N.  Y.,  1888. 
,    and    Babcock,    S.    M.     A    manual    of    qualitative    chemical    analysis. 

Ithaca.  N.  Y.,  1885. 
,  and  Breneman.   A.   A.     Manual   of   introductory  chemical   practice  for 

the  use  of  students  in  colleges  and  high  schools.     New  York,  1878. 
*fCARD,  Fred  W.     Bush  fruits.     New  York  and  London,  1901. 
Carpenter,  Rolla  C.     Experimental  engineering  and  manual  for  testing.     New 

York  and  London.  1004. 

.     Heating  and  ventilating  buildings.     New  York,  1905. 

.     Notes  to  mechanical  laboratory  practice.     Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  1801. 

Chester,  Frederick  D.     Manual  of  determinative  bacteriologv.     New  York  and 

London,  1001. 
Clark.  Y.  A.     See  Waugh,  F.  A. 

Clute,  Oscar  (Allen,  John).     The  blessed  bees.     New  York,  1881. 
Coburn,  Foster  Dwight.     Alfalfa.     New  York.  1001. 

.     Book  of  alfalfa.     New  York,  1006. 

.     Swine  husbandry.     New  York,  1807. 

Collier,  Peter.     Sorghum.     Cincinnati,  1884. 

Comstock,  Anna  Botsford.     How  to  keep  bees.     New  York,  1005. 


24 

Com  stock.   ANNA  BOTBFORD.     My  own  book  of  three  flowers  which  blossom   in 

April  and  May.     New  York.  1904. 

.     Ways  of  the  six-footed.     Boston,  1903. 

.     See  Com  stock,  John  Henry. 

Com  stock,  John  IIenky.     A  classification  of  North  American  spiders.     Ithaca, 

N.  Y..  1903. 

.      Insect   life.      New  York.   1901. 

.     Introduction  to  entomology.     Ithaca.  N.  Y.,  1888. 

,   and    COMSTOCK,    ANNA    BOTSFOBD.      How    to   know    the   butterflies.     New 

York.    11)04. 
* .     Manual  for  the  study  of  insects.     Ithaca.  N.  Y..   1897. 


.  and  Kellogg  Y.   L.     Elements  of  insect  anatomy.     Ithaca.   N.  Y..   1901 

'Conn,  II.  W.     Agricultural  bacteriology.     Philadelphia,  1901. 

: .     Bacteria  in  milk  and  its  products.     Philadelphia,  100:5. 

.     Bacteria,  yeasts,  and  molds  in  the  home.     Boston  and  London.  1903. 

.     Evolution  of  to-day.     New  York  and  London.  1886. 

.     The  living  world.     New  York  and  London,  1891. 

.     The  method  of  evolution.     New  York  and  London.  1900. 

.     The  story  of  germ  life.     New  York,  1902. 


Cook.  Albert  John.  Bee-keeper's  guide,  or  manual  of  the  apiary.  Lansing. 
Mich..  1891. 

.     Birds  of  Michigan.     Annotated  catalogue. 

.     Maple  sugar  and  the  sugar  hush.     Medina,  Ohio,  1887. 

-.     Silo  and  silage.     Lansing,  Mich.,  1890. 

Cook,  G.  H.     Geology  of  New  Jersey.     Newark,  1868. 
Cook,  O.  F.     See  Underwood,  L.  M. 

*  Cooke,  W.  W.     Bird  migration  in  Mississippi  Valley    (edited  and  revised  by 

C.  Hart  Merriam).     Washington,  1888. 
Coulter,  J.  M.     See  Arthur,  J.  C. 

Craig,  J.,  Editor.     James's  practical  agriculture.     New  York,  1902. 
Craig.  J.  A.     Judging  live  stock.     Ames,  Iowa.  1901. 
Craig,  Robert  A.     Diseases  of  swine.     New  York,  1900. 
* ,    Collaborator.     Practical    farming   and   gardening.     Chicago    and    New 

York,  1902. 
Crossman,  R.  W.     See  Weed,  Clarence  M. 
Ckozier,  Arthur  A.     A  dictionary  of  botanical  terms.     New  York.  1892. 

.     Cauliflower.     Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  1891. 

.     Modification  of  plants  by  climate.     Ann  Arbor,  Mich..   1885. 

.     Popular  errors  about  plants.     New  York.  1892. 

Curtis,  Geo.  W.     Horses,  cattle,  sheep,  and  swine.     New  York,  1893. 

*  Dalrvmple,  W.  H.     Veterinary  obstetrics.     New  York,  1898. 
Dearborn,  Ned.     See  Weed,  Clarence  M. 

*  Decker,  John  W.     Cheddar  cheese  making.     Madison.  Wis.,  ISO."). 
•f .     Cheese  making.     Columbus,  Ohio,  1905. 

* .     Elements  of  dairying.     Columbus,  Ohio,  1903. 

*I>ixwiimiE,  R.  R.,  Translator.     Mossehnan  and  Lienaux's  manual  of  veterinary 

microbiology.     New  York,  1895. 
Dubois,  Raymond.     See  Twight.  Edmund  H. 

*  Eastman,  R.  E.    Do  fertilizers  affect  pollen?    New  York,  1902. 

*Ei)gerton,  Joseph  J.,  collaborator.  Practical  farming  and  gardening.  Chi- 
cago and  New  York,  1902. 

♦ERWIN,  Arthur  T.,  Collaborator.  Practical  farming  and  gardening.  Chicago 
and  New  York,  1902. 

♦Failyer,  G.  II..  and  Willard,  J.  T.  Qualitative  chemical  analysis.  Manhat- 
tan. Kiins.,  1886. 

Fatbchlld,  G.  T.     Rural  wealth  and  welfare.     New  York  and  London.   1900. 

*tEARRiNGTON,  E.  II.,  and  Woll,  F.  W.  Testing  milk  and  its  products.  Madi- 
son. Wis..  1904. 

•FKRNAIJ),  C.  II.     The  butterflies  of  Maine.     Augusta.  Me..  1884. 

* .     The  Crambidse  of  North  America.     Amherst,  1896.     The  Pterophorida? 

of  North  America.     Amherst.  1898. 

* .    The  grasses  of  Maine.     Augusta,  Me.,  1885. 

••' .    The  Orthoptera  of  New  England.     [Boston,  1888.] 

* .     The  Sphlngidffi  of  New  England.     Augusta,  Me.,  1886. 

* et   al.      Reports    on    the   extermination    of    the    gypsy    moth.      Boston, 

189.3-1899. 


25 

♦Field,  George  W.,  Translator.     Hertwig's  general  principles  of  zoology.     New 

York,  1807. 
Fish,  Pierre  A.     Book  of  veterinary  doses,  therapeutic  tonus,  and  prescription 

writing.     Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  1906. 
.     Elementary  exercises  in  materia  medica  and  pharmacy.     Ithaca.  X.  Y., 

1904. 

.     Elementary  exercises  in  physiology.     Ithaca,  N.  Y..  100(1 

* .     Practical    exercises    in    comparative    physiology    and    urine    analysis. 


Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  1898. 

Fletcher,  S.  W.     How  to  make  a  fruit  garden.     New  York,  1906. 

■—.     Soils ;  how  to  handle  and  improve  them.     New  York,  1007. 

* .     Folsom,  Justus  Watson.     Entomology  with  special  reference  to  its 

biological  and  economic  aspects.    Philadelphia.  1006. 

*Forbush,  Edward  H.,  and  Fernald,  Charles  H.  The  gypsy  moth.  Boston, 
1806. 

*Fraps,  G.  S.     Principles  of  dyeing.     New  York  and  London,  1008. 

Fraser,  Samuel.     The  potato.     New  York,  1005. 

*Freeman,  E.  M.     Minnesota  plant  diseases.     St.  Paul,  Minn.,  1005. 

Goadby,  Henry.  A  text-book  of  vegetable  and  animal  phvsiology.  New  York, 
1858. 

Goff,  E.  S.     Lessons  in  commercial  fruit  growing.     Madison,  Wis.,  1902. 

* .     Lessons  in  pomology.     Madison,  Wis.,  1899. 

*y .     Principles  of  plant  culture.     Madison,  Wis.,  1906. 

.     Syllabus  of  horticulture ;  for  the  use  of  classes.     N.  p.,  1891. 

— ,  and  Mayne,  D.  D.  First  principles  of  agriculture.  New  York,  Cincin- 
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*Goodrich,  Charles  L.     The  first  book  of  farming.     New  York,  1905. 

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ory of  organic  evolution.     Chicago,  1898. 
♦Weed,  Clarence  M.     Fungi  and  fungicides.     New  York.  L896. 

* .      Insects  and  insecticides.      New  York.  1899. 

* .      Life  histories  Of  American  insects.      New  York  and  London,   L897. 

* .     Nature  biographies.     New  York,  1903. 

.     Seasonable  nature  studies. 

* .     Seed-travelers.     Boston,  1002. 

*f .     Spraying  crops.     New  York.  IPO."!. 

* .     Stories  of  insect  life  (first  series).     Boston  and  London.  1903. 

*  Ten  New  England  blossoms  and  their  insect  visitors.  Boston  and  New 
York.  1900. 

.     The  bird  calendar.     Chicago,  New  York,  and  London.  1002. 

* .  "The  flower  beautiful.     Boston  and  New  York,  1903. 

* .     The  insect  world.     New  York,  1899. 

.     The  tree  and  shrub  calendar.     Chicago.  New  York,  and  London.  1903. 

.     The  wild  flower  calendar.     Chicago.  New  York,  and  London.  1903. 

.  and  Crossman,  R.  W.  Laboratory  guide  for  beginners  in  zoology.  Bos- 
ton, 1902. 

* ,    and  Dearborn,    Ned.     Birds    in    their   relation   to   man.     Philadelphia 

and  London,  1903. 

* .  and  Murtfexdt,  Mary  E.  Stories  of  insect  life  (second  series).  Bos- 
ton, 1901. 

Weems,  J.  B.     See  Pammfx,  L.  II. 

♦Wickson,  Edward  J.     California  fruits.     San  Francisco,  Cal.,.1900. 

::: .     California  vegetahles.     San  Francisco.  1897. 

* .     The  Vacaville  fruit  district  of  California.     San  Francisco.  Cal.,  1888. 

*  Wilcox,  Earley  Yernon.  Translator.     Ostertair's  handbook  of  meat  inspection 

New  York.  1004. 
* .   and   Smith.   Clarence   Beaman.     Farmer's   cyclopedia   of   agriculture. 

New  York  and  London.  1904. 
*Willard,  Julius  T.     An  introduction  to  the  organic  compounds  of  everyday 

life.     Manhattan,  Kans.,  1804. 

.     See  Failyer,  G.  H.     . 

*Williams,  W.  L.     Surgical  and  ohstetrieal  operations.     Ithaca.  N.   Y..   1903. 
*Wing,  Henry  H.     Milk  and  its  products.     New  York  and  London,  1S00. 
WlNTON,  A.   L.     Microscopy  of  vegetable  foods.     New   York,   1906. 
*Woix,  F.  W.     A  hook  on  silage.     Chicago,  1900. 

.     Dairy  calendar.     New  York.  1895-96. 

*f .     (irotenfelt's   principles   of   modern   dairy   practice.     New    York   and 

London.  1005. 

*f .      Handbook  for  farmers  and  dairymen.      New   York  and  London.   1903. 

* ,   Collaborator.     Practical    farming   and    gardening.     Chicago   and    New 

York.  1002. 

,  Editor.     Agricultural  calendar.     New  York.  1895-96. 

.    See  Farrington,  E.  II. 


WOOD,  Miss  E.  M.     See  Atkinson.  GEORGE  F. 

Woodwortii.  C.  W.     The  wing  veins  of  insects.     Sacramento,  Cal..   1906. 

The  report  was  accepted  and  ordered  included  in  the  proceedings  of  the  con- 
vention. 

National  University   at  Washington. 

E.  B.  Andrews,  of  Nebraska,  and  (J.  E.  Fellows,  of  Maine,  presented  the 
question  of  the  appointment  of  a  committee  t<>  cooperate  with  the  committee 
from  the  National  Association  of  state  Universities,  with  a  view  to  the  fur- 
therance of  ;i  plan  for  the  establishment  of  a  national  university  at  Washing- 
ton, and  the  matter  was  referred  to  the  executive  committee  (see  p.  58). 


31 

Improvement  of  the  Apple. 

R.  S.  Mackintosh,  of  Alabama,  presented  a  memorial  on  this  subject  drawn 
up  by  the  horticulturists  in  attendance  at  the  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture, 
which  was  subsequently  withdrawn. 

Executive  Committee  and  the  Adams  Act. 

E.  B.  Andrews,  of  Nebraska.  I  wish  to  express  the  sense  of  gratitude  and 
obligation  which  I  feel  and  which  all  engaged  in  our  work  feel  toward  the 
executive  committee  for  its  prompt,  earnest,  and  efficient  endeavors  in  connec- 
tion with  the  passage  of  the  Adams  Act.  If  it  is  proper.  I  move,  Mr.  President, 
that  the  gratitude  of  this  association  is  considered  d#ie  and  is  hereby  tendered 
to  the  executive  committee  for  the  painstaking  and  efficient  efforts  that  they 
made  toward  the  passage  of  the  Adams  Act. 

The  motion  was  seconded  and  unanimously  adopted. 

II.  C.  White,  of  Georgia,  expressed  briefly  the  thanks  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee for  this  action  of  the  convention. 

Expenditure  of  Adams   Find  Balances. 

C.  <  \  Thach.  of  Alabama,  introduced  the  following  resolution: 

Whereas  there  was  much  confusion  and  uncertainty  on  the  part  of  many  of  the 
experiment  stations  in  the  United  States  concerning  the  date  when  the  appro 
priations  made  by  Congress  under  the  Adams  Act  for  1905-6  became  available; 
and 

Whereas  through  this  confusion  and  uncertainty  many  of  the  stations  in  the 
brief  time  allowed  were  unable  to  formulate  careful  and  judicious  plans  for 
the  expenditure  of  said  funds,  and  so  consequently  failed  to  secure  the  full 
amount  of  said  appropriation  for  1905-0  :  Therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  executive  committee  be*requested  to  investigate  the  extent 
to  which  the  stations  failed  to  receive  the  full  appropriation  referred  to  and  to 
secure  such  remedy  as  may  seem  practicable. 

The  resolution  was  referred  to  the  executive  committee.  Subsequently  it 
was  reported  to  the  convention  and  adopted. 

Canadian  Delegates  to  the  Conventions  of  the  Association. 

J.  C.  Hardy,  of  Mississippi,  offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was  re- 
ferred to  the  executive  committee : 

Resolved,  That  the  institutions  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada  engaged  in  educa- 
tional and  experimental  work  in  the  interest  of  agriculture  or  mechanic  arts 
lie.  and  are  hereby,  invited  to  send  delegates  to  the  conventions  of  this  associa- 
tion, with  all  privileges,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  constitution 
of  the  association. 

The  resolution  was  subsequently  reported  and  adopted. 

Memorial  to  President  George  W.  Atherton. 

H.  P.  Arinsby.  of  Pennsylvania,  delivered  the  following  address : 

George  W.  Atherton,  president  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  College,  died  at 
State  College,  Pa.,  on  July  24.  1900.  having  nearly  reached  the  traditional  three- 
score years  and  ten. 

The  record  of  these  seventy  years  is  a  notable  one,  yet  the  simple  outline  of 
his  life  includes  few  striking  or  romantic  events.  The  sturdy  Yankee  boy  of 
12.  earning  his  own  living  and  helping  to  support  his  widowed  mother;  the 
young  student,  working  his  way  through  academy  and  college ;  the  citizen- 
soldier  of  the  civil  war;  the  teacher;  the  college  professor,  and  finally  the 

20140— No.  184—07  M 3 


32 

college  president — all  these  are  such   familiar  figures   in   our  national   annals 

that  they  attract  scarcely  more  than  a  passing  glance.  Vet  this  brief  and 
aUnost  colorless  enumeration  covers  a  life  of  intense,  unremitting,  and  effective 
activity.  With  the  exception  of  a  brief  military  experience,  it  was  essentially 
the  academic  life,  yet  its  concrete  and  far-reaching  results  should  forever 
refute,  were  such  refutation  necessary,  the  notion  that  the  academic  life  is  a 
pale  abstraction,  remote  from  the  practical  affairs  of  men. 

George  W.  Atherton  was  born  at  Boxford,  Mass..  on  June  20,  1837,  coming  of 
good  New  England  stock.  Left  fatherless  at  the  age  of  12.  he  supported  himself 
and  aided  his  mother  and  sisters  by  work  in  a  cotton  mill  and  later  on  the  farm 
and  by  teaching.  He  worked  his  way  through  Philips  Exeter  Academy,  at 
Andovor.  Mass.,  and  in  1860  entered  the  sophomore  class  at  Yale.  At  the  out- 
break of  the  civil  war  he  responded  to  the  call  to  arms,  and  on  recommendation 
of  President  Woolsey  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant  in.  the  Tenth  Connecti- 
cut Volunteers.  He  took  part  in  Rurnside's  North  Carolina  expedition,  where 
he  served  witli  conspicuous  bravery  and  efficiency,  and  was  promoted  to  a 
captaincy. 

Leaving  the  Army  in  1st;:;  <>n  account  of  failing  health,  he  was  graduated 
from  Vale  with  his  class,  and  on  Christmas  of  the  same  year  was  married  to 
Frances  I).  W.  Washburn,  who.  with  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  survive  him. 
For  the  next  four  years  he  was  a  professor  in  the  Albany  Boys'  Academy,  of 
Albany,  N.  V..  and  for  the  succeeding  year  a  professor,  and  during  most  of  the 
year  acting  principal,  of  St.  John's  College  at  Annapolis.  Md. 

His  first  formal  connection  with  industrial  education  was  in  1868,  when  he 
was  called  to  the  newly  established  Illinois  Industrial  Fniversity — since  become 
the  University  of  Illinois — atid  took  part  in  the  organization  of  that  institution. 
being  closely  associated  with  its  first  president,  Doctor  Gregory.  After  a  single 
year's  activity  there,  however,  he  accepted  a  very  flattering  offer  from  Rutgers 
College,  and  for  the  succeeding  fourteen  years  filled  the  chair  of  political  econ- 
omy at  that  institution. 

This  was  a  newly  established  chair  in  a  college  which  was  at  that  time  quite 
strictly  of  the  classical  type,  and  the  problem  of  finding  standing  ground  for 
the  new  subject  without  unduly  encroaching  on  the  old  or  arousing  the  antag- 
onism of  other  departments  was  met  by  the  young  professor  of  :\'2  with  that 
successful  combination  of  firmness  and  diplomacy  with  which  we  all  were  t.» 
become  familiar  in  later  years. 

As  we  should  expect,  he  took  a  broad  view  of  the  duties  of  his  position,  and 
far  from  confining  himself  to  the  instruction  of  his  students,  he  took  an  active 
interest  in  all  pending  political  and  economic  questions  and  responded  freely  to 
every  call  to  serve  the  larger  public. 

In  1873  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  visitors  to  the  United  States 
Naval  Academy.  In  1875  he  was  a  member  of  the  commission  to  investigate 
the  charges  of  corruption  at  the  Red  Cloud  Indian  Agency  preferred  by  Prof. 
O.  C.  Marsh,  of  Yale,  having  been  added  along  with  the  Hon.  Timothy  Howe,  of 
Michigan,  by  personal  action  of  President  Grant,  to  a  commission  of  three  pre- 
viously .appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  In  1876,  much  against  his 
wish,  he  was  made  the  Republican  candidate  for  Congress  for  his  district. 
Although  the  district  was  hopelessly  Democratic,  he  threw  himself  into  the 
contest  with  characteristic  energy  and.  while  not  elected,  ran  considerably  ahead 
of  the  Presidential  ticket.  My  personal  acquaintance  with  Doctor  Atherton 
dates  from  that  time,  when  I  was  a  young  assistant  at  Rutgers,  and  I  well  re- 
member seeing  him  frequently,  after  a  night  trip  to  some  political  meeting, 
hastening  across  the  campus  to  morning  chapel  with  a  vigor  which  we  younger 
men  could  more  easily  admire  than  imitate. 

In  1878  he  was  appointed  chairman  of  a  commission  to  prepare  and  present 
to  the  legislature  of  New  Jersey  a  digest  and  revision  of  the  State  system  of  tax- 
ation. While  engaged  in  this  work  he  found  time  to  study  law.  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  New  Jersey  bar  while  still  carrying  on  his  college  work. 

Both  his  studies  in  economics  and  his  activity  in  public  affairs  naturally  led 
him  to  interest  himself  in  the  development  of  industrial  education,  which  occu- 
pied so  large  a  share  of  educational  thought  during  those  years,  particularly 
in  connection  with  the  land-grant  act  of  1862.  We  may  suspect,  too.  that  his 
early  connection  with  the  movement  in  Illinois  had  much  to  do  with  turning  his 
thoughts  in  that  direction.  In  1873  he  presented  an  elaborate  paper  before  the 
National  Educational  Association  niton  the  subject  "The  relation  of  the  Gen- 
eral Government  to  education."    In  the  course  of  this  paper  he  traced  in  con- 


33 

siderable  detail  the  history  and  development  of  the  land-grant  colleges  up  to 
that  time  and  emphasized  those  broad  conceptions  of  their  functions  in  our 
educational  system  and  of  the  importance  of  the  type  of  education  which  they 
were  designed  to  give,  to  whose  concrete  development  he  was  to  contribute  so 
largely. 

In  1882  he  accepted  the  presidency  of  The  Pennsylvania  State  College  and 
began  that  work  for  which  his  prevous  life  had  been  the  unconscious  prepara- 
tion. For  any  adequate  estimate  of  his  achievements  in  that  office  some  knowl- 
edge of  the  history  of  the  college  and  of  its  condition  at  the  time  he  took 
charge  is  an  indispensable  preliminary. 

The  Pennsylvania  State  College  was  chartered  under  the  name  of  the  Farm- 
ers' High  School  of  Pennsylvania  February  22.  1855,  but  fifteen  years  after 
Liebeg's  famous  report  on  ••Chemistry  in  its  application  to  agriculture  and 
physiology."'  which  may  be  regarded  as  marking  the  beginning  of  modern  agri- 
cultural science.  Lawes  and  Gilbert  had  begun  their  classic  investigations  at 
Rothamsted  only  twelve  years  before.  The  first  agricultural  experiment  sta- 
tion, at  Moeckern.  was  then  only  three  years  old.  and  the  first  modern  depart- 
ment of  agriculture  in  a  German  university  was  still  to  be  established  five  years 
later  at  Halle.  The  Farmers'  High  School  of  Pennsylvania  was  one  of  the  first 
fruits  of  that  revolution  in  the  subject-matter  and  methods  of  education  which 
characterized  the  middle  years  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Its  foundation  was  so 
closely  synchronous  with  that  of  the  Michigan  and  the  Maryland  agricultural 
colleges  that  the  degree  of  priority  is  largely  a  question  of  definition. 

Owing  its  origin  to  the  initiative  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society,  and 
equipped  in  part  by  the  State,  but  largely  by  private  generosity,  it  opened  its 
doors  to  students  February  10.  1850.  the  long  delay  being  due  largely  to  the 
financial  panic  of  1857.  In  the  succeeding  year  it  was  fortunate  enough  to 
secure  as  its  first  president  Dr.  Evan  Pugh.  a  man  far  in  advance  of  his  time 
in  his  grasp  of  the  essentials  of  industrial  education.  With  the  passage  of  the 
first  Morrill  Act  in  1862  the  scope  of  the  institution  was  enlarged  to  cover  the 
mechanic  arts  as  well  as  agriculture,  and  its  name  was  changed  to  the  Penn- 
sylvania Agricultural  College.  A  comprehensive  scheme  of  organization  was 
formulated  by  its  president,  and  the  institution  seemed  well  started  on  a  most 
promising  career  when  it-<  hopes  were  blighted  by  the  sudden  and  untimely 
death  of  Doctor  Pugh  in  April.  1864.  There  followed  a  period  of  vacillation 
and  uncertainty,  but  as  the  impulse  given  by  Doctor  Pugh  died  out  the  college 
gradually  settled  down  into  the  "  Middle  Ages  "  of  its  history,  with  a  small 
number  of  students,  chiefly  in  the  preparatory  department,  and  with  its  func- 
tions as  an  industrial  college  largely  in  abeyance,  except  that  experimental 
work  in  agriculture  was  given  a  prominent  position,  especially  after  the  pur- 
chase by  the  State  in  1S<;7  of  three  experimental  farms.  While  the  Morrill 
fund  was  finally,  after  considerable  delay  and  controversy,  assigned  to  the  col- 
lege, the  State  made  no  other  provision  for  the  administration  of  the  grant  or 
lor  supervising  the  execution  of  the  trust  to  which  it  had  explicitly  pledged  its 
faith  when  accepting  the  fund. 

The  natural  consequence  of  State  neglect  and  of  the  lack  of  a  definite  and 
aggressive  policy  did  not  fail  to  ensue.  The  college  dwindled  and  the  public 
forgot  or  ignored  its  position  as  a  State  institution  officially  designated  to 
carry  out  certain  obligations  to  the  National  Government  assumed  by  the  Com- 
monwealth. For  the  college  year  1881-82.  the  year  immediately  preceding 
Doctor  Atherton's  administration,  the  total  registration  is  reported  as  145.  of 
whom,  however,  only  47  were  taking  the  regular  four  years'  course.  The  gradu- 
ates of  1SS2,  however,  reached  the  unusually  large  number  of  9.  the  largest 
since  1868,  and  a  number  not  again  reached  until  18S5.  For  the  following 
college  year.  1882-83.  the  number  of  collegiate  students  dropped  to  34  and  the 
total  enrollment  to  87.  while  the  graduating  cla^s  numbered  5.  At  that  time 
the  entire  work  of  the  college  was  carried  on  under  the  one  roof  of  "  Old  Main." 
which  also  served  to  shelter  the  families  of  several  professors,  and  the  total 
assured  income  of  the  institution  was  $30,000  per  year  from  the  Morrill  fund. 
Such  was  the  institution  of  which  Doctor  Atherton  assumed  charge  in  1882. 
The  college  was  a  small  affair,  the  village  but  a  hamlet.  12  miles  from  the 
nearest  railroad  point,  and  the  conditions  of  life  decidedly  primitive.  I  re- 
member hearing  him  tell,  with  probacy  more  enjoyment  in  the  retrospect 
than  in  the  experience,  of  sitting  in  his  office  in  the  college  building  on  many 
an  evening  and  being  startled  from  his  work  as  some  sudden  noise  or  call  re- 
minded him  that  the  building  was  lighted  entirely  by  lamps,  while  the  supply 


34 

of  coal  oil  and  the  ammunition  for  the  cadet  battalion  had  been  thoughtfully 
stored  in  the  basement  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  president's  office. 

The  growth  of  the  college  in  numbers  and  in  material  equipment  in  the 
twenty-four  years  of  Doctor  Atherton's  administration  has  been  nothing  short 
of  marvelous.  The  enrollment  of  87  in  1882-83  became  800  in  1905-6;  the 
graduating  class,  on  whom  he  conferred  their  degrees  as  his  last  official  act, 
numbering  86.  The  faculty  has  increased  in  the  same  period  from  16  to  GG, 
besides  20  "assistants  in  administration."  The  work  which  in  1882  was  car- 
ried on  in  a  single  building  is  now  distributed  among  fourteen,  the  cost  of  the 
new  buildings  erected  having  been  nearly  $1,000,000,  this  including  the  magnifi- 
cent Schwab  Auditorium  and  Carnegie  Library.  The  total  of  the  State  appro- 
priations to  the  college  during  the  period  is  nearly  $1,500,000,  as  compared  with 
$183,000  during  all  its  previous  history. 

Such  are  some  of  the  outward  ami  visible  si^ns  of  the  regeneration  of  The 
Pennsylvania  State  College.  Their  inner  significance  can  be  fully  compre- 
hended only  by  those  who  have  watched  its  progress  year  by  year. 

At  the  beginning  of  his  administration  there  was  committed  to  Doctor  Ather- 
ton's charge  an  insignificant  and  almost  friendless  institution,  with  small  re- 
sources and  with  a  formidable  heritage  of  indifference,  distrust,  or  active 
enmity  on  the  part  of  the  public.  To  overcome  these  appalling  difficulties  he 
had.  besides  the  noble  traditions  of  struggle  and  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  its  few 
founders  and  friends  (notably  several  members  of  the  board  of  trustees),  only 
a  small  but  able  and  devoted  band  of  instructors  and  his  own  strong  personality 
and  indomitable  energy; 

At  once  he  recalled  the  college  from  its  groping  after  a  reason  for  being  and 
set  it  again  upon  the  path  from  which  it  had  wandered  after  the  death  of  its 
first  president.  In  his  first  official  report  to  the  trustees  he  set  forth  clearly 
and  convincingly  its  functions  as  an  institution  for  industrial  education,  and 
from  that  ideal  he  never  swerved.  Over  and  over  again  he  iterated  and  reit- 
erated and  fairly  hammered  into  the  public  consciousness  the  broad  conception 
of  "The  liberal  and  practical  education  of  the  industrial  classes  in  the  several 
pursuits  and  professions  of  life."  which  he  had  outlined  so  clearly  before  the 
National  Educational  Association  nine  years  before.  He  took  his  stand  unalter- 
ably upon  the  provisions  of  the  first  Morrill  Act.  that  great  charter  of  industrial 
education,  with  a  faith  in  the  outcome  which  events  have  abundantly  justified. 

Having  thus  laid  down  the  lines  for  the  future  growth  of  the  college,  his  task 
was  to  win  popular  approval  of  this  educational  programme  and  public  confi- 
dence in  the  college  as  the  agency  for  its  execution.  His  success  in  accomplish- 
ing this  herculean  task  is  suggested  by  the  material  progress  which  I  have 
barely  indicated,  and  this  constitutes  the  essential  and  vital  achievement  of  his 
administration.  There  are  those  among  my  hearers  who  have  personal  knowl- 
edge of  those  early  days  and  can  testify  to  the  revolution  in  public  sentiment 
brought  about  in  less  than  a  generation.  From  the  outset  his  appeal  was  con- 
stantly and  consistently  to  the  honor  and  the  pride  of  the  Commonwealth. 
The  State  had  accepted  the  bounty  of  the  National  Government  and  had  sol- 
emnly pledged  its  faith  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  the  contract.  He  called 
upon  it  to  redeem  this  pledge  in  a  manner  worthy  of  a  great  and  rich  Common- 
wealth, and  to  provide  its  youth  with  facilities  for  industrial  education  equal 
to  the  best.  To  this  appeal,  patiently  repeated  and  seconded  by  a  phenomenal 
ability  to  influence  and  persuade  men,  Pennsylvania  has  gradually  but  surely 
and  with  constantly  growing  enthusiasm  responded.  The  neglect  of  years  has 
been  at  least  partially  made  good  and  the  long  struggle  for  recognition  was 
crowned,  in  the  last  legislature,  by  the  unopposed  passage  of  a  bill  reorganizing 
the  board  of  trustees  and  settling  forever  the  status  of  the  college  as  a  State 
institution. 

I  need  not  remind  this  audience  that  despite  the  demands  of  his  college  work 
Doctor  Atherton  found  time  and  energy  lor  other  notable  public  activities. 

His  services  in  securing  the  passage  of  the  Hatch  Act  and  the  second  Mor- 
rill Act,  his  part  in  the  organization  of  this  association,  his  services  for  two 
years  as  its  first  president,  and  his  varied  activities  in  other  capacities  have 
already  been  the  subject  of  eulogy,  and  are  too  fresh  in  our  minds  to  need 
enumeration. 

In  1887  he  was  appointed  by  GovdHor  Beaver  chairman  of  a  commission  of 
five,  appointed  under  a  joint  resolution  of  the  legislature,  "to  make  inquiry  and 
report  to  the  next  legislature  *  *  *  respecting  the  subject  of  industrial 
education."  Special  reference  was  had  in  the  resolution  to  the  question  of  the 
incorporation  of  industrial  training  into  the  existing  system  of  public  educa- 


35 

tion,  and  to  the  training  of  teachers  for  this  purpose.  The  report  of  this  com- 
mission, which  was  largely  his  work,  was  recognized  as  the  most  comprehensive 
and  thorough  treatment  of  the  subject  up  i<>  that  time.  In  1  Si >  1  he  was  for  the 
second  time  appointed  on  the  Board  of  Visitors  to  the  United  States  Naval 
Academy.  In  1895  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  College  and  University 
Council  of  Pennsylvania,  of  which  he  continued  a  i  lember  until  his  death. 

Doctor  Atherton  had  the  courage  and  poise  of  the  horn  leader  of  men.  Never 
dismayed  or  disconcerted  by  opposition  or  attack,  accepting  defeat  as  the 
stepping  stone  to  future  success,  with  an  open  mind  welcoming  every  sugges- 
tion from  others,  yet  with  supreme  confidence  in  his  own  carefully  considered 
conclusions,  he  bore  his  great  responsibilities  with  a  quietness  and  simplicity 
which  were  an  inspiration  to  his  associates.  He  was  an  optimist  in  the  best 
sense,  believing  profoundly  that  right  is  stronger  than  wrong  and  that  high  and 
worthy  ideals  must  ultimately  triumph,  and  he  showed  his  faith  by  his  works. 

He  was  an  indefatigable  worker,  never  sparing  himself  in  the  service  of  the 
college  or  of  the  larger  public,  and  he  inspired  his  associates  with  the  like  zeal. 
It  has  been  a  common  remark  of  newcomers  that  State  College  is  an  exceed- 
ingly busy  place.  It  is  true,  and  the  secret  was  in  the  leader  who  said,  not 
"go"  but  "come."  Firm  in  maintaining  the  just  prerogatives  of  his  office,  he 
was  most  generous  in  acknowledging  the  labor  of  others  and  was  notably  free 
from  that  petty  vanity  which  seeks  to  absorb  all  the  credit  for  progress  and 
which  speaks  of  "  my  "  college,  "  my  "  faculty,  "  my  "  board.  His  ideal  was  the 
life  of  service,  and  the  career  of  this  gifted  man  must  ever  put  before  the 
students  of  State  a  high  ideal  of  what  constitutes  success  in  life. 

During  his  later  years  his  multifarious  activities  overtaxed  even  his  strong 
physique.  Twice  leave  of  absence  was  almost  forced  upon  him  by  the  trustees. 
Returning  on  each  occasion  from  a  European  trip,  he  threw  himself  unre- 
servedly— I  had  almost  said  recklessly — into  his  work  again.  Nearly  a  year 
before  his  death  he  suffered  a  severe  attack  of  a  bronchial  disorder,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1905  he  insisted  upon  presenting  his  resignation,  to  take  effect  as  soon 
as  his  successor  should  be  secured,  and  on  the  advice  of  his  physician  spent  the 
winter  in  southern  California.  In  the  spring  he  returned  somewhat  improved 
and  attempted  to  take  up  his  work  again.  A  business  trip  to  New  York  and 
Washington  in  the  uncertain  weather  of  early  spring,  however,  brought  on  a 
relapse,  and  for  two  weeks  his  life  was  despaired  of.  Later  he  rallied,  and  on 
commencement  day  was  able  to  appear  upon  the  platform  and  confer  the 
degrees  upon  the  graduating  class.  This  was  his  last  official  act.  He  grad- 
ually grew  weaker,  and  on  July  24  passed  quietly  and  peacefully  away. 

He  rests  on  the  campus  of  the  college  which  he  loved  so  well  and  to  which  he 
literally  gave  his  life.  Over  his  grave  might  well  be  written  the  epitaph  upon 
Sir  Christopher  Wren  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral.  London,  which  I  have  often 
heard  him  quote,  "  Si  monumentum  quaeris,  circumspice  " — if  thou  seekest  his 
monument  look  about  thee. 

J.  K.  Patterson,  of  Kentucky.  It  is  with  no  ordinary  feelings  of  regret  and 
of  sorrow  that  we  commemorate  and  place  on  our  records  the  high  esteem  and 
regard  which  we  entertained  for  our  late  associate  and  friend.  Dr.  George  W. 
Atherton.  of  the  State  College  of  Pennsylvania. 

Descended  from  a  vigorous  and  honorable  New  England  stock,  his  education 
was  obtained  and  his  degree  taken  in  one  of  the  colleges  of  his  native  State, 
which  has  given  to  his  Commonwealth  and  to  the  nation  so  many  men  who 
have  achieved  reputations  for  themselves  and  distinction  for  their  country.  A 
career  of  usefulness  in  civil  life  lay  before  him  when  the  call  to  arms  sum- 
moned him  to  the  field  in  defense  of  the  integrity  of  the  nation.  During  his 
brief  service — a  service  cut  short  by  an  illness  which  rendered  him  unfit  for 
further  military  duty — he  had  already  attained  his  rank  of  captain,  retiring 
with  an  honorable  record. 

Fortunately  for  the  new  departure  in  education,  partly  determined  by  the 
Morrill  legislation  of  1862,  Doctor  Atherton  early  became  interested  in  the 
movement,  and  thenceforward  devoted  his  life  to  its  development.  With  two 
or  three  able  cooperators  and  lifelong  friends,  he  both  stimulated  and  con- 
trolled the  mighty  onward  impulse  which  found  expression  in  the  land-grant 
colleges  and  universities  of  to-day.     The  Congressional  legislation  subsequent 


36 

to  18G2  in  behalf  of  these  institutions  was  greatly  influenced  and  largely  shaped 
by  him.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  who  brought  this  association  into  being. 
Few  of  us  now  remain  who  witnessed  its  birth.     But  we  well  remember  the 

untiring  energy,  the  vigorous  initiative,  and  his  indefatigable  service,  which. 
ungrudgingly  given,  gave  it  an  auspicious  beginning,  and  carried  it  forward  to 
a  rational  and  well-ordered  maturity.  The  constitution,  original  and  modified, 
under  which  it  lives  and  energizes,  is  the  product  of  his  genius  for  organiza- 
tion. Whatever  success  this  organization  has  achieved  is  due  in  largo  degree 
to  the  impetus  of  his  intellect  and  his  will. 

Doctor  Atherton  wielded  an  uncommon  influence  with  public  men  in  the  halls 
of  legislation.  Leaders  in  the  Senate  and  leaders  in  the  House  gave  him  a 
willing  audience  and  were  won  by  his  quiet,  Signified,  persuasive  presenta- 
tion of  his  views.  For  years  he  was  the  chief  representative  of  this  body  before 
the  law-m. iking  power,  and  in  this  capacity  his  tact  and  wisdom  and  discretion 
never  failed  him. 

Be  it  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  we  place  in  the  minutes  of  this  body  our  admiration  of  his 
gifts  and  of  his  virtues,  our  gratitude  for  his  long  life  of  devotion  to-human 
progress,  and  our  high  estimate  of  the  services  rendered  by  him  to  liberal, 
industrial,  technical,  and  professional  education. 

In  all  the  relations  of  life,  moreover,  he  was  a  man  and  a  gentleman.  Envy 
and  meanness  were  foreign  to  his  composition.  Candor,  perfect  fairness,  in- 
tegrity, charity,  high  ideals  of  duty  and  of  honor,  dominated  his  being  and 
were  conspicuous  always  and  everywhere.  A  pleasing  personality  and  a  fault- 
less grace  of  demeanor  and  expression  revealed  the  excellence  of  the  soul 
within.  Where  shall  we  find  his  equal?  When  shall  we  behold  his  like  again V 
Let  us  revere  his  memory  and  imitate  his  example. 

The  resolution  was  adopted  by  a  rising  vote  of  the  convention. 

Memorial  to  Henry  Cullen  Adams. 

W.  A.  Henry,  of  Wisconsin,  read  the  following  memorial  upon  the  life  of 
Henry  Cullen  Adams : 

Henry  Cullen  Adams  was  born  in  Verona,  Oneida  County,  X.  Y..  November  28, 
1850,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  Wisconsin  the  following  year.  In  his  veins 
liowed  the  blood  of  the  statesmen  Adams  and  Webster. 

He  received  his  education  at  Albion  Academy  and  the  University  of  Wiscon- 
sin ;  later  he  engaged  in  dairying  and  fruit  growing.  In  1883  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  State  assembly  and  reelected  in  1885.  From  1887  to  1889  he  was 
actively  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  Wisconsin  farmers'  institutes.  He  served 
as  president  of  the  Wisconsin  State  Dairymen's  Association  and  as  secretary  of 
the  State  Horticultural  Society.  He  was  appointed  superintendent  of  public 
property  in  1888,  and  from  1895  to  1902  was  State  dairy  and  food  commissioner. 
In  this  last  position  he  accomplished  a  great  work  for  the  dairy  and  pure  food 
interests,  and  secured  a  training  which  later  on  proved  eminently  useful  to  the 
whole  nation. 

My  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Adams  covered  twenty-six  years,  during  which 
time  we  lived  as  close  neighbors.  Knowing  him  intimately,  I  early  came  to  know 
that  his  one  burning  ambition  was  to  serve  in  the  halls  of  Congress,  not  merely 
lor  the  honor,  but  for  the  opportunity  it  gave  to  help  on  the  cause  of  agriculture 
and  to  serve  the  common  people.  It  was  the  Opportunity  and  not  the  honor 
that  attracted  him  and  held  him  true  to  that  purpose  through  many  years  of 
waiting  and  splendid  preparation. 

Fortunate  indeed  is  the  man  who.  born  with  ability,  acquires  the  proper  prep- 
aration and  at  last  finds  opportunity  for  the  full  exercise  of  all  his  powers  in 
some  exalted  T>osition. 

Mr.  Adams's  extensive-  public  service  was  a  fitting  prelude  to  his  successful, 
though  brief,  career  in  Congress.  He  was  a  speaker  of  unusual  power,  express- 
ing his  thoughts  logically  and  clothing  them  with  the  fewest,  simplest  words 
possible,  always  fitly  chosen.      He  never  repeated,  and  his  telling  sentences,  often 


37 

of  a  few  words  only,  followed  one  another  with  surprising  rapidity  and  splendid 
arrangement.  In  debate,  where  he  especially  shone,  he  accorded  his  opponents 
the  most  courteous  treatment.  No  matter  how  strained  the  contest,  there  was 
never  any  personal  reference  on  his  part.  He  regarded  his  opponent  as  his  equal 
in  honesty  of  purpose.  These  high  qualities  were  early  brought  into  prom- 
inence in  his  advocacy  of  the  experiment  station  bill  and  attracted  the  attention 
of  the  Members  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  Probably  no  man  who  ever 
entered  that  deliberative  body  gained  friends  more  rapidly  than  did  Henry 
Cullen  Adams.  The  rush  of  pregnant  events  pushed  him  into  prominence,  and 
his  short  Congressional  career  was  a  continuous  triumph. 

What  we  now  know  as  the  Adams  bill  had  its  inception  in  a  conference  held 
in  the  Capitol,  Washington,  about  November  20,  1903,  in  which  there  were  pres- 
ent Air.  Adams,  Henry  Casson,  formerly  secretary  of  state  of  Wisconsin,  and 
then,  as  now,  Sergeant-at-Arms  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  myself. 
The  Association  of  Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations  had  just 
closed  its  seventeenth  annual  convention  in  Washington.  I  had  been  in  attend- 
ance, but  was  unable  to  return  to  my  home  on  account  of  illness,  and  was  linger- 
ing in  Washington.  It  was  during  this  sojourn  that  I  made  my  way  to  the 
Capitol  building  and  there  had  a  conference  with  Messrs.  Adams  and  Casson 
in  which  I  told  them  of  the  dire  poverty  of  our  experiment  stations,  pointing 
out  how  the  original  Hatch  Act  gift  had  accomplished  a  vast  deal  of  good  and 
had  made  friends  without  number — how  there  was  need  for  more  agricultural 
research,  which  could  not  be  undertaken  with  our  present  funds,  and  closed  by 
telling  them  that  our  experiment  stations  needed  another  gift  like  that  which 
came  through  the  Hatch  Act.  Mr.  Adams  grasped  the  situation  at  once  and 
closed  our  conference  by  saying:  "Another  grant  to  the  stations  would  be  a 
righteous  measure.     Congress  will  pass  such  a  bill.     It  can  be  done." 

As  stated  above,  this  conference  took  place  about  November  20,  1903.  On 
December  4,  about  two  weeks  later,  he  wrote  me,  among  other  matters :  "  I 
firmly  believe  that  a  bill,  such  as  outlined  in  our  conversation,  can  be  passed." 

On  December  11  he  wrote:  "  Yesterday  Doctor  True,  of  the  Office  of  Experi- 
ment Stations,  called  on  me  at  the  Capitol.  I  had  a  little  talk  with  him  in 
reference  to  the  legislation  that  you  and  I  discussed.  I  requested  him  to 
give  the  matter  of  form  and  details  of  the  bill  some  thought,  and  agreed  to 
call  and  see  him  later  and  go  over  the  matter  with  him  fully." 

On  December  24  he  wrote :  "  I  inclose  herewith  copy  of  a  bill  making  an 
annual  appropriation  for  the  experiment  stations.  *  *  *  I  have  gone  over 
this  subject  with  Dr.  A.  C.  True,  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations,  and  the 
inclosed  bill  embodies  his  idea  of  what  the  bill  should  be.  *  *  *  Write  me 
at  once  what  you  think  about  this,  as  I  wish  to  introduce  the  bill  immediately 
after  the  holidays."  Then  follows  one  of  his  characteristic  sentences:  "I  am 
alone  in  my  glory  here  now,  and  am  having  plenty  of  time  to  work,  while  the 
statesmen  are  eating  their  Christmas  turkeys  at  home." 

On  January  23,  1904,  Mr.  Adams  wrote :  "  I  called  upon  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  your  national  association  the  other  day  and  was  very  warmly  received 
by  the  gentlemen  composing  the  committee.  They  were  very  enthusiastic  over 
the  bill  and  pledged  me  their  vigorous  cooperation,  saying  that  they  would  act 
upon  any  suggestion  I  might  make.  Naturally  I  made  some.  Later  they  called 
upon  me  in  a  body  at  the  House  with  a  corrected  copy  of  the  bill,  suggesting  only 
minor  amendments  which  are  obviously  proper." 

And  so  there  came  into  existence  a  measure  which  will  in  time  double  the 
original  Government  grant  for  agricultural  research,  yielding  annually  some 
$700,000.  How  the  bill  was  received  by  station  men,  the  agricultural  press,  and 
our  farmer  constituents  generally  is  a  matter  well  known  to  you  all.  How  it 
dragged  through  the  sessions  of  1904  and  1905  is  likewise  history.  Some  of  us, 
in  our  multiplicity  of  duties,  at  times  forgot  the  bill,  vital  as  it  was  to  our 
stations,  but  not  so  with  Mr.  Adams.     It  was  on  his  mind  all  the  time. 

I  have  a  large  volume  of  correspondence  from  Mr.  Adams,  which  forms  a 
most  unique  history  of  the  progress  of  this  measure  from  its  inception  until 
its  passage.  It  is  interesting  matter,  I  assure  you.  Much  of  it  can  not,  with 
propriety,  become  public  now.  Time  clarifies  all,  and  it  is  my  purpose  to  leave 
these  papers  where  they  will  be  accessible  to  the  future  historian.  When  the 
history  of  pioneer  agricultural  progress  in  America  is  written,  as  some  day  it 
will  be,  this  work  will  stand  out  as  a  splendid  example  of  what  can  be  accom- 
plished by  one  man  in  Congress,  who  has  a  righteous  cause,  a  willing  heart, 
a  clear  head,  and  a  determined  mind. 

We  are  told  that  nothing  of  value  comes  easily  in  this  world.      The  "Adams 


38 

bill,"  as  it  was  called  from  the  first,  met  no  outward  opposition  ;  indeed,  every 
Member  ho  approached  expressed  the  most  cordial  good  will  and  promised 
support  But  Codgress  was  giving  with  a  liberal  hand  to  other  projects.  The 
St.  Louis  Exposition  called  for  much;  then  there  was  the  building  of  great 
battle  ships,  costing  from  ive  to  eight  millions  each — a  hundred  millions  a 
year  for  those  alone.  Under  these  conditions  the  Adams  Act.  which  committed 
the  Government  to  large  and  continuous  appropriations,  encountered  strong 
opposition,  and  it  required  the  exercise  of  great  tact,  patience,  and  knowledge 
of  parliamentary  procedure  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Adams  to  bring  the  matter  to  a. 
vote:  hut  one  day  in  February,  1906,  the  hill  was  brought  before  the  House 
under  the  rules  and  promptly  passed  without  a  dissenting  vote.  Its  record  in  the 
Senate  was  the  same,  and  on  March  If.  President  Roosevelt  approved  the  act 
by  which  the  General  Government  will,  in  the  future,  set  aside  each  year  some 
$700,000  for  searching  out  new  things  to  aid  the  great  art  of  agriculture. 

After  the  successful  issue,  he  wrote:  "  Within  a  few  hours  after  the  passage 
of  my  hill,  and  beginning  with  your  telegram,  letters  and  telegrams  of  con- 
gratulation came  in  and  have  been  coining  ever  since.  It  makes  me  feel 
pretty   good." 

Later  he  wrote:  "Our  hill  went  to  the  President  last  Thursday.  I  have 
heen  confined  to  the  hotel  nearly  all  the  time  since  the  date  my  hill  passed  the 
Senate.  I  am  sufficiently  thankful  that  I  was  able  to  keep  on  my  feet  for  three 
months  and  a  half,  and  get  along  with  an  endless  amount  of  fighting,  not  to 
kick  very  much  over  being  sick  now.  I  shall  be  out  in  a  day  or  two  if  nothing 
happens." 

Mr.  Adams  had  been  more  or  less  an  invalid  all  his  life.  Sickness  drove 
him  from  the  State  University  before  he  completed  his  course;  specter-like  it 
haunted  him  in  his  every  project.  I  lew  he  survived  year  after  year,  and 
accomplished  the  large  amount  of  useful,  lasting  work  he  did,  along  so  main- 
lines, is  a  mystery  to  all  who  knew  him  intimately.  How  he  wrought  anything 
in  the  later  years  was  a  still  greater  mystery.  He  seemed  to  exist  on  will 
power,  a  splendid  example  of  the  supremacy  of  mind  over  matter.  His  ail- 
ment, ever  etching  at  his  frail  body,  made  him  thin  and  emaciated,  but  he 
only  made  light  of  this.  At  one  time  he  wrote  :  "  This  matter  is  taking  flesh 
off  me  at  a  rapid  rate.  I  have  actually  lost  a  pound  and  a  half  in  weight." 
He  bore  his  affliction  nearly  alwaysdn  absolute  silence.  Sometimes  tin1  muscles 
of  the  face  would  draw,  the  jaws  set,  and  we  knew  that  the  harrow  of  pain  was 
passing  over  him.  Then,  quick  as  the  electric  flash,  there  would  come  some 
bright,  happy  thought,  not  of  himself,  but  of  other  men  or  things,  and  we 
who  were  with  him  were  led  to  forget.  Mind  and  body  were  out  of  balance. 
Mind  was  supreme. 

All  his  life  Mr.  Adams  was  an  optimist.  He  believed  the  world  was  growing 
better.  This  philosophy  was  the  foundation  of  his  success.  He  gave  his 
friends  new  views  of  life  and  of  the  worth  of  living,  and  through  his  own 
splendid  example  how  to  accomplish  much,  despite  the  wearying  drag  of  ever- 
present  adversity. 

The  measures  brought  to  issue  in  the  first  session  of  the  Fifty-ninth  Congress 
were  among  the  most  important  and  far-reaching  ever  considered  by  that 
august  body.  In  this  strenuous  campaign  Mr.  Adams  was  in  the  very  front 
of  the  battle.  He  studied  the  New  Mexico-Arizona  statehood  problem  on  the 
ground  itself,  and  early  decided  that  the  two  Territories  should  not  be  forced 
into  what  he  regarded  as  unnatural  union,  but  the  people  left  to  decide,  by 
vote,  this  question  so  momentous  to  them.  This  position  was  taken  against 
the  adivce  of  many,  and  held  despite  a  great  pressure  from  those  in  high 
authority.  Congress  finally  came  to  see  this  matter  as  did  the  "insurgents." 
with  whom  he  was  classed. 

One  of  the  most  important  pieces  of  legislation  ever  before  Congress  was  the 
pure-food  law.  Here  Mr.  Adams's  experience  and  knowledge,  gained  by  his 
service  as  dairy  and  food  commissioner  of  Wisconsin,  served  a  splendid  purpose. 
His  familiarity  with  the  subject,  his  judicious  temperament,  his  generous  nature 
in  helping  his  friends,  without  stint,  made  his  desk  the  rendezvous  of  the 
leaders  in  the  movement. 

All  these  events  were  slowly  and  surely  sapping  his  small  reserve  of  strength, 
though  he  held  on  with  a  persistence  that  surprised  all.  During  this  time  his 
mental  powers  .expanded  rapidly.  Opportunity  and  ambition  brought  forth 
full  fruition. 

And  then  at  last,  as  though  there  had  not  already  heen  enough,  there  came 
the   herculean   contest    between    the   packers   and   the    President    over   the   meat- 


39 

inspection  bill.  The  complications  and  differences  grew  and  grew  until  there 
seemed  no  way  of  bringing  harmony  among  the  opposing  fad  ions  and  a  termi- 
nation to  the  acrimonious  contest.  Then  it  was  that  the  qualities  of  our  friend 
shone  out  as  never  before.  By  this  time  he  had  gained  (he  universal  confi- 
dence and  regard  of  all  the  Members  of  the  House,  because  of  his  broad  knowl- 
edge and  splendid  judgment  in  these  matters.  They  had  come  to  know  the 
man  and  placed  their  confidence  in  him.  In  an  hour  when  the  clashing  interests 
were  wrought  to  the  highest  pitch  he  aided  materially  in  bringing  the  President 
and  the  packers  together,  and  soon  all  was  peace,  and  once  more  the  people 
had  won. 

With  the  finish  of  the  great  Congressional  drama,  in  which  he  had  played 
such  a  conspicuous  part,  he  left  the  Capital  for  his  Wisconsin  home,  but  it  was 
too  late,  and  on  the  way  his  light  went  out.  our  long-time  friend  had  gone  to 
join  the  great  throng  on  the  other  shore.  With  his  going  there  passed  away  one 
of  the  most  useful  men  that  had  ever  stood  on  the  floor  of  Congress.  Had  he 
been  spared  to  carry  on  the  work  he  loved  so  well  he  would  have  advanced,  in 
due  time,  to  the  chairmanship  of  the  Agricultural  Committee  of  the  House. 
Here  his  great  discernment,  his  broad  powers,  his  intense  love  for  agriculture. 
and  his  well-grounded  sympathy  with  the  common  people  would  have  made  him 
an  unequaled  power  for  good  in  national  legislation.  As  we  enumerate  the 
riches  of  his  attainments  during  the  three  short  years  of  his  national  public 
service  I  am  sure  we  will  agree  that  in  the  death  of  Henry  Cullen  Adams 
American  agriculture  lost  the  truest,  wisest  friend  it  ever  had  in  the  halls  of 
Congress. 

H.  C.  White,  of  Georgia.  Mr.  President,  by  reason  of  my  association  with 
Mr.  Adams  as  the  representative  of  your  executive  committee,  it  may  be  proper 
and  expected  that  I  should  say  a  word  in  connection  with  these  memorial 
exercises.  I  have  but  a  single  thought  to  add  to  what  Dean  Henry  has  so 
eloquently  and  well  expressed  respecting  the  life  and  character  and  services  of 
Mr.  Adams.  Mr.  Adams  deserves  commemoration  at  the  hands  of  this  associa- 
tion, not  only  because  of  the  successful  legislation  in  our  interest  which  he 
achieved,  not  only  because  of  his  sincerity  of  purpose  in  the  endeavors  which 
have  benefited  us,  but  also  because  he  was  indeed  i  great  and  worthy  man.  His 
characteristics  have  been  referred  to  by  Dean  Henry,  and  were  well  known  to 
all  who  came  in  close  contact  with  him.  There  is  one  thing  to  which  I  wish  to 
refer  upon  which  Dean  Henry  has  laid  but  little  emphasis.  He  was  a  man  abso- 
lutely devoid  of  the  supercilious  pride  of  personal  opinion.  He  was  a  man  who 
was  perfectly  willing  at  all  times  to  subordinate  his  opinions  to  those  of  others. 
When  the  bill  in  which  he  was  interested,  and  which  he  drew  with  great  care  and 
deliberation,  was  submitted  to  the  executive  committee  of  this  association,  before 
it  was  introduced  into  Congress,  Mr.  Adams  asked  for  critcisms  from  the  mem- 
bers of  the  committee.  There  were  several  features  of  the  bill  to  which  we 
saw  objection.  Mr.  Adams,  although  he  himself  differed  with  the  committee, 
had  no  hesitancy  in  striking  those  provisons  from  the  bill.  I  have  never  known 
a  man  in  public  life  who  was  so  ready  to  submit  his  personal  opinions  to  the 
opinions  of  others.  I  want  to  add  this  to  what  Dean  Henry  has  said  because  it 
was  to  our  minds  one  of  the  strongest  characteristics  of  the  man.  one  of  his 
most  admirable  qualities,  and  one  of  his  most  valuable  assets  as  a  great  states- 
man and  a  successful  legislator. 

A.  C.  True,  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations.  I  have  listened  with  deep 
interest  and  entire  approbation  to  the  appreciative  words  that  have  been  spoken 
concerning  Mr.  Adams.  Those  of  us  who  were  closely  thrown  with  him  during 
his  Congressional  career  came  to  have  the  highest  respect  for  him  as  a  man. 
His  personality  was  attractive.  He  had  such  a  kindly,  optimistic  view  of  things, 
and  you  were  so  thoroughly  impressed  with  his  sincerity  of  purpose  that  you 
could  not  but  have  the  deepest  respect  for  him  personally.  We  had  come  to 
feel  that  in  him  agriculture  had  a  great  leader  in  a  broad  sense,  and  that  seems 
to  me  to  be  a  very  important  matter.     If  you  will  look  over  the  Congressional 


40 

Record  you  will  find  we  have  a  considerable  number  of  men  who  are  interested 
in  agricultural  matters  with  reference  to  their  own  localities.  The  number  of 
'iien  who  take  a  broad  view  of  the  agricultural  interests  of  this  country  is 
small,  so  that  in  the  loss  of  Mr.  Adams,  who  was  one  of  the  men  who  took  a 
broad  view  of  our  agricultural  affairs,  we  have  sustained  an  unusual  loss.  His 
place  can  not  be  easily  tilled. 

The  meeting  then  adjourned  to  meet  again  at  8  o'clock  p.  m. 

Evening  Session,  Wednesday,  Novembeb  14,  L906. 

The  session  was  called  to  order  at  8.30  ]>.  in.,  by  Vice-President  O.  C.  Thach. 
(d  Alabama,   in  (Jarig  Hall,  at    the   Louisiana    State  University. 

Annual  Addbess  of  the  President  of  the  Association. 

The  chairman.  ( \  ( '.  Thach.  introduced  the  president  of  the  association,  M.  II. 
Buckham,  of  Vermont,  who  delivered  the  following  address: 

The  most  prominent  events  of  the  past  year  to  us  of  the  colleges  and  sta- 
tions have  been,  first,  the  passage  of  the  Adams  bill,  increasing  the  appropriation 
for  the  maintenance  of  the  agricultural  experiment  stations,  and  second,  the 
conspicuous  success  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture  in  connection  with 
the  University  of  Illinois.  The  passage  of  the  Adams  bill  with  unanimity, 
and  we  may  almost  say  with  alacrity,  in  both  Houses  of  Congress,  means  much 
for  the  institutions  involved.  It  means  an  indorsement  of  and  a  faith  in  the 
work  of  the  experiment  stations,  and  virtually  of  the  colleges  which  supervise 
them,  as  being  of  high  and  far-reaching  practical  value  to  the  people,  and  it 
means  that  the  Federal  Government,  on  further  reflection,  deliberately  adopts 
the  principle  and  policy  of  Federal  aid  to  scientific  investigation  in  agriculture 
and  related  subjects,  and  to  the  diffusion  of  the  benefits  of  such  investigation 
among  the  people.  Future  steps  must  be  forward  in  the  same  direction  :  to 
go  backward  or  to  halt  is  no  longer  possible.  The  stations  will  have  no  diffi- 
culty and  will  make  no  pause  in  putting  to  effective  use  their  new  revenue. 
Indeed,  their  imperative  needs  had  already  indicated  the  lines  on  which  the 
new  income  will  be  utilized.  The  only  drawback  which  accompanies  the  new 
outlook  is  the  deep  regret  which  we  feel  for  the  loss  of  the  brave  and  re- 
sourceful man  who  carried  the  measure  to  success  in  Congress.  Those  of  us 
who  had  the  pleasure  of  personal  contact  with  him  recall  with  admiration  his 
enthusiastic  zeal,  his  vigor  of  utterance,  and  his  serene  assurance  of  final 
success  in  the  enterprise  he  had  undertaken  :  and  in  view  of  what  he  has 
accomplished  for  us  at  great  cost  of  unremitting  and  indomitable  persistence 
amid  discouragements  and  personal  suffering,  we  all  owe  him  and.  I  am  sure. 
will  gladly  pay  him.  the  respect  and  homage  which  will  couple  the  name  of 
Henry  Cullen  Adams,  of  Wisconsin,  as  a  benefactor  of  agriculture,  with  the 
names  of  Justin  S.  Morrill,  of  Vermont,  and  William  II.  Hatch,  of  Missouri. 

From  all  accounts  received,  we  have  reason  to  congratulate  ourselves  on  the 
outcome  of  the  second  session  of  the  Graduate  School  in  agriculture  held  under 
the  auspices  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  at  Frbana.  As  regards  the  number 
in  attendance,  the  high  character  of  the  courses  and  lectures  given,  the  inter- 
est— approaching  to  enthusiasm — of  the  students,  the  publicity  and  prominence 
accorded  to  the  meetings  by  the  press  and  by  the  public,  we  may  confidently 
claim  that  we  have  taken  an  important  step  in  the  progress  of  agricultural  edu- 
cation. I  venture  to  go  further  and  to  say  that,  while  even  after  the  brilliant 
promise  of  the  Ohio  college  session  the  project  was  still  an  experiment  of 
doubtful  policy  in  the  minds  of  many,  we  may  now  consider  the  Summer  School 
of  Advanced  Science  in  Agriculture  as  a  permanent  institution.  In  confirmation 
of  this  statement  it  may  be  announced  that  the  committee  on  graduate  studies 
has  already  received  an  invitation  to  hold  a  session  of  the  school  in  connection 
with  a  prominent  university  in  1908.  The  Graduate  School  has  come  to  pass, 
it  may  be  said,  in  the  natural  process  of  evolution.  If  graduate  courses  are 
called  for  in  our  universities  in  connection  with  all  other  branches  of  knowl- 
edge, why  should  not  such  courses  be  given  in  the  several  sciences  relating  to 
agriculture,  a  subject  in  which  we  have  only  just  begun  to  see  the  possibilities. 
both    theoretical    and    practical,    of    future    investigation    and    research?      Our 


41 

thanks  are  due  to  the  authorities  of  the  University  of  Illinois  for  the  hospital- 
ity with  which  they  have  welcomed  and  the  liberality  with  which  they  have 
sustained  the  Graduate  School,  and  also  to  Doctor  True  for  placing  for  a  second 
time  his  matured  judgment  and  executive  capacity  ;it  the  service  of  the  school. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  chapters  in  the  Report  of  the  Office  of  Experi- 
ment Stations,  just  issued,  is  on  "  Progress  in  Agricultural  Education,"  espe- 
cially in  other  countries  than  our  own.  1  beg  leave  to  contribute  to  this  most 
gratifying  exhibit  two  items  which  may  prove  interesting.  Our  neighbor  of  the 
north.  Canada,  having  for  many  years  been  doing  excellent  work  with  limited 
resources,  has  now  had  these  resources  largely  augmented  by  the  munificence 
of  one  of  her  citizens.  Sir  William  McDonald,  who  has  established  a  College  of 
Agriculture  near  Montreal  with  the  magnificent  gift  of  a  farm  of  (500  acres. 
buildings,  and  equipments  thoroughly  adequate  to  the  needs  of  a  first-class 
agricultural  college,  and  an  ample  endowment,  the  whole  reaching  the  sum  of 
$3,000,000.  Not  the  least  gratifying  aspect  of  this  gift  is  the  example  and  com- 
mendation it  gives  of  private  munificence  to  a  cause  which  has  hitherto  been 
almost  entirely  dependent  on  governmental  patronage.  At  the  great  Aberdeen 
celebration,  which  gathered  from  all  parts  of  the  world  men  of  science  and  of 
progress  in  unprecedented  numbers,  and  which  culminated  in  the  dedication  of  a 
magnificent  set  of  buildings  to  university  pursuits,  the  King  and  Queen,  repre- 
senting, it  is  to  be  assumed,  the  general  public  estimate,  selected  for  special 
inspection  and  favor  the  agricultural  department  of  the  university.  When  we 
remember  that  even  trivial  royal  actions  are  studied  parts  of  a  matured  policy, 
we  may  interpret  this  as  the  testimony  of  the  intelligence  of  England  to  the 
value  of  scientific  training  in  agriculture  to  the  solution  of  the  great  question, 
a  specially  serious  question  in  England,  of  feeding  the  people. 

A  convenient,  though  rough,  working  division  of  the  common  industries  of 
the  people  is  into  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts.  These,  with  the  profes- 
sions, in  a  general  way.  cover  the  field  of  human  employments.  Undoubtedly 
this  was  in  Mr.  Morrill's  mind  when  he  divided  the  instruction  provided  for  in 
his  hill  into  the  two  groups,  "branches  of  learning  relating  to  agriculture  and 
the  mechanic  arts."  But  it  seems  to  have  been  tacitly  assumed  that  in  this 
partnership,  so  to  speak,  agriculture  was  to  he  the  predominant  partner,  and 
hence  some  of  the  colleges  established  under  the  act  have  styled  themselves 
simply  "agricultural  colleges."  But  a  careful  study  of  the  bill  and  of  supple- 
mentary legislation  shows  no  good  reason  for  relatively  minimizing  to  such  an 
extent  the  department  of  the  mechanic  arts.  As  the  colleges  have  developed 
under  the  free  operation  of  educational  and  economic  laws,  the  public  demand 
and  appreciation  have  very  strongly  expressed  themselves  in  favor  of  a  due 
attention  to  the  mechanic  arts.  It  is  a  fair  question  whether  a  more  distinct 
recognition  of  this  equality  of  rank  and  claim  should  not  be  given  to  the 
mechanic  arts  side  of  this  dual  status,  not  only  in  this  association,  where  the 
claim  has  often  been  put  forward  without  full  response,  but  more  effectively  by 
corresponding  patronage  and  an  equal  appropriation  from  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment. At  all  events,  there  would  seem  to  he  justice  in  asking  the  hitherto 
predominant  partner,  now  that  it  has  again  received  the  bounty  of  the  Govern- 
ment, to  join  with  the  friends  of  the  mechanic  arts  in  urging  the  national  leg- 
islature to  take  one  step  toward  equalizing  the  claims  of  the  two  great  classes 
of  industry,  thus  avoiding  what  might  seem  class  legislation,  by  passing  the 
Mondell  bill  now  and  for  several  years  before  Congress. 

Turning  now  to  the  undergraduate  side  of  our  educational  problem,  let  me 
ask  your  consideration  of  a  subject  suggested  to  us,  and  I  believe  urged  upon 
(air  attention,  by  the  moral  crisis — I  do  not  hesitate  to  call  it — through  which 
as  a  people  we  are  passing.  During  the  last  quinquennial  period  in  the  United 
States  we  have  witnessed  a  memorable  public  pronouncement  on  the  supreme 
value  of  character.  The  expression  of  this  judgment  has  come  upon  us  with 
something  of  explosive  energy.  It  has  been  customary  for  a  long  time  past 
to  say  that  the  thing  we  care  for  most  here  in  America  is  money  ;  that  we  will 
overlook  every  defect  and  even  pardon  most  faults  and  some  crimes  where  we 
can  see  sufficient  money.  But  we  have  somewdiat  suddenly  found  out  that 
this  is  not  true;  that  we  have  with  false  modesty  been  all  along  depreciating 
ourselves  and  belying  our  generation  ;  that  the  thing  we  do  most  care  for  is 
not  money  ;  that  there  are  things  that  no  amount  of  money  will  pardon  and 
tilings  that  no  amount  of  money  will  buy ;  that  the  oftly  way  to  have  the  good 
opinion  of  all  the  people  all  the  time  is  to  deserve  it :  that,  in  short,  the  only 
thing  of  permanent  value  in  the  universe,  even  in  America,  at  any  time,  even 
in  the  twentieth  century,  is  character. 


42 

If  we  look  a  little  closely  at  this  judgment  we  shall  find  that  it  is  twofold — 
(hat.  in  the  first  place,  it  is  a  high  appreciation  of  the  human  in  life  and.  in 
the  second  place,  that  it  is  an  exaltation  of  the  right  in  life.  Taking  these 
points  in  reverse  order  we  find  that  the  temper  Of  the  times  is  to  put  emphasis 
upon  the  right  It  is  nothing  new  in  the  world  that  the  wise  and  the  good, 
the  leaders  and  teachers  of  men.  should  assert  that  the  one  true  way  in  life 
is  the  way  of  the  right,  and  that  all  other  ways  are  ways  of  mistake  and  failure 
and  ruin.  But  the  great  mass  of  men  in  all  the  ages  seem  to  have  had  a  dif- 
ferent philosophy  of  life  from  this.  Whatever  they  may  have  approved  in 
words,  their  conduct  has  seemed  to  show  that  they  believed  in  something  else 
than  right  as  the  hotter  way  for  them — that  the  way  to  get  out  of  life  what  it 
had  for  them  was  to  act  in  obedience  to  a  certain  low  prudence  which  seemed 
lo  them  to  promise  success.  And  when  they  have  seen  success  follow  courses 
that  were  unrighteous,  or  less  than  righteous,  they  seem  to  have  envied  the 
success  and  approved  the  courses  pursued.  The  moral  history  of  mankind 
seems  to  show  that  men  in  general  believe  that  to  get  certain  things  which  al! 
men  desire,  no  matter  by  what  means  one  <jcots  them,  is  to  get  the  good  of  life, 
and  that  in  order  to  get  these  good  things  almost  any  means  may  he.  if  not  jus- 
titiahly,  yet  pardonably,  used.  But  this  was  never  really  so.  In  their  deeper 
hearts  men  never  really  believed  that  wrongdoing  brings  success.  There  has 
always  heen  in  the  world  a  voice — legendary,  lyric,  dramatic,  prophetic — a  voice 
deeper  than  the  lullaby  of  luxurious  ease  in  sin.  lender  than  the  notes  of 
plausive  triumph,  a  voice  of  rebuke,  of  warning,  of  omen,  of  retribution.  We 
bear  it  in  the  minor  notes  of  the  wail  sounding  in  all  folklore;  we  read  it  in 
the  myths  of  the  Eiunenides ;  it  startles  us  in  the  soft  solemn  tread  of  the 
Xeniesis  ;  it  sits  as  black  care  behind  the  Epicurean  horseman:  it  appears  once 
and  again  as  the  "  Mene,  mene,  tekel  "  of  the  prophet,  as  the  sword  of 
Damocles,  the  i^host  of  Banquo.  It  is  always  here  and  will  not  down.  It 
abides  with  man,  the  testimony  of  his  indefeasible  divinity,  the  prophesy  of  his 
perfection.  Every  now  and  then,  as  at  the  present  time,  some  great  searchings 
of  heart  come  to  men.  some  surging  uncovers  the  depths  of  our  moral  being,  and 
we  see  things  as  they  really  and  fundamentally  are.  and  we  see.  as  we  are  now 
seeing,  that  we  have  never  really  lost  the  moral  standards  of  estimation;  that 
we  never  really  put  the  splendid  dazzle  above  substantial  merit  ;  that  we  have 
been  deceived  and  bewildered,  hut  never  totally  debased  and  corrupted:  that  if 
we  fostered  and  applauded  crime  in  its  place  of  might  and  power,  in  our  hearts 
we  honored  and  worshiped  only  truth  and  virtue  and  goodness. 

And  so  the  times  are  not  in  this  respect  depressing  and  ominous,  hut.  on  the 
whole,  heartening  and  full  of  promise.  It  is  good  to  he  conscious  of  having  at- 
tained a  correct  moral  discernment,  even  if  it  come  out  of  a  great  shock  and  tur- 
moil. We  ought  to  he  thankful — we  are,  I  am  sure,  thankful — that  we  have 
heen  brought  to  a  sane  judgment  of  what  is  and  what  is  not  worth  while  in  the 
universe  in  which  we  live.  We  have  seen,  and  it  is  one  of  the  si.^ns  of  the 
advancing  kingdom  of  God  in  which  prophet  and  saint  exult — a  new  magnifi- 
cat— we  have  seen  the  mighty  put  down  from  their  seats  and  them  of  low  de- 
cree exalted.  If  there  is  one  judgment  more  pronounced  and  more  decisive 
than  any  other  of  our  times  it  is  that  the  best  thing  in  the  world  is  not  wealth. 
or  applause,  or  office,  or  power,  hut  character;  that  the  persons  to  he  envied 
and  imitated  are  not  czars.,  or  millionaires,  or  sybarites,  or  "bosses,"  but  just. 
good,  and  true  men  and  women. 

The  other  element  of  character  to  which  I  have  referred  is  the  human  ele- 
ment of  it.  If  we  divide  the  universe  of  our  knowledge  into  men  and  things 
we  have  recently  come  to  give  men  their  due  superiority  over  things,  the  human 
element  in  life  its  preeminence  over  the  nonhuman.  Not  that  we  value  nature 
less  it  also  is  of  the  divine  order  and  has  everywhere  the  impress  of  the 
divine  band  and  the  touch  of  the  divine  heart,  but  that  it  is  of  a  lower  order 
than  man  is  God's  idea  and  should  be  our  own.  The  oldest  divine  injunction 
to  man  is  to  have  dominion  over  all  nature,  to  keep  it  under  him.  and  to  exercise 
authority  over  it.  to  make  it  subservient  to  himself.  When  man  makes  himself 
the  servant  of  nature,  and  he  has  often  done  it.  when  he  devotes  himself  to  the 
ministries  whereby  things  are  improved  and  material  nature  is  made  more  effect- 
ive and  beautiful  without  any  ulterior  good  to  humanity,  he  has  misused  and 
wasted  himself.  He  has  cast  pearls  before  swine.  He  has  given  that  which 
is  holy  to  the  dogs.  Is  it  unkind  to  say  that  in  certain  periods  of  history — 
and  the  last  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  was  one  of  these  times — that  matter 
and  force  and  natural  law — that  things  visible  and  tangible  absorbed  relatively 
too  much,  that   man.   his  capacities,   and   products,   and   institutions,   and   possi- 


43 

bilities,  relatively  too  little  of  human  thought  and  endeavor?  Has  there  not 
been,  is  there  not  now,  a  balance  to  be  restored,  a  readjustment  to  be  made. 
I  will  not  say  between  sense  and  soul,  but  between  things  of  tbe  intellect  and 
things  of  the  spirit,  between  nature  and  man?  Is  not  the  demand  of  the  tinier 
becoming  more  and  more  a  demand  for  the  due  recognition  of  the  eternally 
human? 

The  pertinence  of  these  reflections  is  in  their  bearing  on  the  true  function  and 
aim  of  the  college  in  our  generation,  and  for  us  especially,  the  function  of  the 
Morrill  colleges.  I  am  not  going  to  add  another  to  the  many  discussions- 
tedious  discussions  they  became  long  ago.  I  may  say.  who  have  had  my  share 
in  them — over  the  general  scope  and  contents  of  the  educational  programme  pro- 
vided-by  the  Morrill  Act  of  1862.  But  I  think  the  time  has  come  when  we  are 
called  upon  to  consider  the  question — not  altogether  new,  and  yet  not  tiresomely 
old  in  these  gatherings — whether  it  is  not  our  duty  under  the  act,  and  our 
privilege  and  prerogative  as  educators,  to  give  the  education  offered  in  these 
colleges  a  more  decidedly  humanistic  turn  than  that  which  has  hitherto  pre- 
vailed in  most  of  them,  or  at  least  so  to  magnify  the  cultural  factors  and  inten- 
sify the  humanistic  spirit  in  our  collegiate  life  that  the  general  influence  of 
this  life  on  the  collegiate  body,  and  through  it  en  the  social  life  of  our  people, 
may  be  more  liberalizing  and  vital.  No  one  thinks  that  we  have  yet  reached 
finality  in  determining  the  educational  policy  which  our  colleges  should  pursue. 
It  need  not  be  with  excessive  chagrin  that  we  recall  the  crude  attempts  at 
college  making  which  we  and  our  contemporaries  have  gone  through  and  left 
behind  us.  There  is  no  more  difficult  service  that  wise  men  are  called  to  under- 
take than  to  do  laboriously  this  work,  which  so  many  have  been  ready  to  do  ex 
tempore.  It  may  yet  be  a  long  time  before  we  are  able  to  arrive  at  a  definite 
educational  policy  for  the  Morrill  colleges,  if  we  ever  do  more  than  agree  to 
allow  such  flexibility  as  will  admit  of  a  wholesome  diversity  and  adaptation  to 
varying  circumstances  and  needs.  If  it  shall  prove  to  be  the  work  of  these 
colleges,  whether  as  separate  institutions  or  as  parts  of  universities,  to  produce 
industrial  experts,  still  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  these  experts  will  differ  from 
others  by  being  liberally  educated  experts;  that  is.  by  having  had  that  broader 
training,  that  introduction  to  and  domiciliation  in  a  more  comprehensive  intel- 
lectual life  which  we  have  thought  involved  in  a  liberal  education.  In  taking 
this  position  I  am  not  broaching  any  new  idea.  I  am  only  echoing  and  formu- 
lating what  a  large  and  growing  public  intelligence  is  saying  yi  the  ears  of  us 
all.  Men  everywhere  are  inquiring  for  the  cans?  of  a  certain  moral  and  spir- 
itual lack  in  our  civilization— a  lack  wbch  so  easily  becomes  a  lapse,  even  a 
collapse — and  for  a  remedy  adequate  to  meet  the  situation.  It  may  be  unjust 
to  trace  so  large  a  share  of  this  trouble  to  deficiencies  in  our  scholastic  and 
collegiate  and  ecclesiastical  teaching,  but  it  certainly  becomes  us  to  take  the 
question  seriously  to  heart  and  to  search  diligently  for  any  remedial  agency 
which  may  lie  within  our  reach. 

Now.  if  we  may  make  liberal  use  of  the  old  term,  now  happily  revived. 
"  humanistic,"  to  characterize  a  particular  style  or  trend  of  education,  may  we 
hope  to  gain  in  the  direction  indicated  by  increasing  the  humanist-  emphasis  in 
the  "  liberal  education  "'  which  the  Morrill  Act  requires  in  all  the  colleges? 

When  we  ask  if  there  are  any  studies  which  are  necessities  in  a  liberal  edu- 
cation, which  are  so  far  obligatory  that  an  education  without  them  is  not 
liberal,  and.  if  so.  what  they  are.  I  will  confess  that  the  list  easily  grows  to 
formidable  size.  Look  at  them  one  by  one  for  a  moment.  No  one  will  dispute 
the  statement  that  a  liberal  ediTcntion  must  embrace  an  acquaintance  with 
some  other  languages  than  our  own.  and  that  not  merely  for  use  in  getting 
technical  information,  but  for  the  purpose  of  learning  how  other  men  think, 
how  they  reason,  and  imagine,  how  they  express  themselves  in  oratory  and  song. 
Suppose,  for  example,  that  we  were  shut  off  from  all  direct  communication 
with  the  gifted  and  cultivated  people  of  the  world,  as  we  are  shut  off  from  the 
Chinese  and  Japanese,  by  ignorance  of  their  languages,  what  intellectual  priva- 
tion and  isolation  would  result !  Now.  when  we  have  admitted  that  such  knowl- 
edge of  some  languages  is  a  necessity,  we  shall  find  it  no  easy  task  to  exclude 
three  or  four  languages — certainly  not  Latin,  or  French,  or  German.  If  I 
mention  literature  next,  meaning  by  the  term  not  what  one  reads  in  a  recre- 
ative way.  but  what  one  studies  in  order  that  he  may  know  mankind  at  its 
best — in  its  moods  of  elevation  and  inspiration — what  a  wealth  of  thought  and 
life  he  misses  who  is  not  introduced  to  its  charms  and  its  potencies  in  the  years 
when  he  is  learning  the  possibilities  of  an  intellectual  life.  If  it  be  suggested 
that  this  lack  can  be  made  up  by  copious  reading  in  after  life,  look  around  you 


44 

and  ask  hew  many  readers  of  great  and  good  books  you  soo  among  the  half 
educated.  The  same  remark  will  apply  to  history.  The  desultory  reading  of 
history  as  we  find  it  among  ordinary  readers  has  almost  no  educational  value. 
Whereas  a  good  university  course  or  series  of  courses  in  history  is  a  valuable 
lesson  in  humanity,  a  teacher  of  law  and  liberty,  of  motive,  of  passion,  and 
action,  and  the  progress  and  development  of  human  life  in  its  various  aspects, 
such  as  no  other  discipline  can  offer  and  no  training  can  afford  to  dispense 
with.  I  shall  allow  political  science  and  economics  to  plead  for  themselves. 
only  calling  attention  to  the  wretched  incompetency  of  many  of  our  public  men 
and  public  bodies  in  dealing  with  these  subjects,  owing  to  a  lack  of  the  funda- 
mental scientific  training  in  them,  which,  while  it  might  not  have  conferred 
upon  them  the  supreme  wisdom  which  emergencies  call  for.  would  at  least  have 
preserved  them  from  the  woeful  mistakes  from  which  we  are  suffering  and  are 
likely  to  suffer.  Surely  no  man  could  call  an  education  liberal — that  is.  ade- 
quate for  a  free  man  and  a  maker  of  opinion  and  a  source  of  action  in  a  free 
State — which  omitted  a  study  of  these  essential  elements  of  public  well-being. 
If  now  the  list  should  close  with  philosophy  and  ethics,  and  the  half-educated 
man  should  question  the  claim  to  distinction  of  subjects  so  remote  from  real 
and  everyday  human  needs  as  philosophy,  the  science  of  mind  and  thought  and 
conduct,  this  would  only  serve  to  show  that  a  so-called  "practical"  education 
would,  from  sheer  obtuseness  of  vision,  eliminate  from  its  view  the  most  truly 
human,  the  most  profoundly  practical,  the  most  fruitful  of  good  or  of  evil, 
according  to  its  truth  or  error,  of  all  human  objects  of  study,  and  that  on  a 
liberal  education,  thus  broadly  conceived  and  wrought  out,  depends  the  vindica- 
tion and  exaltation  of  the  nobler  side  of  our  human  endowment  and  our  possible 
development. 

This  brings  us  to  the  most  difficult  of  all  the  epiestions  of  this  group — the 
place  of  religion  in  a  liberal  education.  The  question  is  not  the  same  as  that 
which  is  distracting  our  British  brethren,  and  which  for  centuries  has 
hampered  and  retarded  public  education  in  almost  all  countries  except  our 
own.  That  question  concerns  children  and  youth  in  the  secondary  grades, 
who  we  think  can  be  best  dealt  with,  as  regards  religious  training,  in  the. 
homes  and  the  churches.  Our  question  relates  to  young  men  and  young 
women,  mostly  away  from  home,  and  in  our  watch  and  care.  We  claim  the 
control  of  almost  their  whole  time  and  are  responsible  in  a  good  measure  for 
the  subjects  which  mainly  occupy  their  thoughts.  If  either  parents  or 
churches  should  seek  to  withdraw  them  from  our  control  for  any  considerable 
time  or  for  any  absorbing  occupation,  we  should  resent  the  interference  or 
bow  to  it  only  as  a  politic  concession.  And  yet.  when  we  seek  to  do  anything 
for  their  religions  nurture,  we  find  ourselves  amid  such  perplexities  that  we 
are  practically  doing  little  or  nothing,  and  are  vainly  trying  to  quiet  our  con- 
sciences for  acquiescing  in  a  situation  which  we  know  to  be  illogical  and  which 
we  hope  will  sometime  be  solved  by  a  wisdom  better  than  ours.  Meanwhile, 
we  see  our  institutions  sending  out  a  type  of  educated  man  well  represented 
in  Gallio  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  "He  cared  for  none  of  these  things" — 
not  atheistic,  not  actually  hostile  to  religion,  certainly  not  religions,  negative 
and  indifferent  toward  the  whole  subject,  lacking  in  those  qualities  of  charity 
and  sweet  reasonableness  which  nothing  but  religion  can  produce,  often  re- 
appearing as  teachers  in  the  colleges  to  reproduce  in  their  pupils  a  new 
generation  of  the  same  type  as  themselves.  1  fear  it  might  truthfully  be  said 
that,  while  we  carefully  clear  ourselves  from  the  charge  of  teaching  dogmatics 
and  denominationalism  we  are  laying  ourselves  open  to  the  charge  of  teaching 
that  manhood  and  womanhood  may  be  complete  without  the  religious  element 
of  character.  Bui  surely  that  is  a  conclusion  from  which  we  all  shrink.  What. 
eventually,  will  be  the  civilization  which  does  not  generate  in  its  thinking  and 
leading  men  that  reverence  for  the  divine  side  of  human  nature  which  is  the 
guardian  and  inspiration  of  all  the  rest? 

If  it  be  said,  as  it  may  well  be.  that  no  one  has  a  right  to  lay  bare  and  aggra- 
vate a  situation  which  is  already  perplexing  and  painful  enough,  without  pro- 
posing, at  least,  something  palliative,  even  if  not  remedial,  I  can  only  suggest 
that  we  might  make  much  more  than  we  do  of  some  departments  of  religion 
as  a  humanistic  discipline — the  historic,  philosophic,  literary,  esthetic  aspects 
of  it.  History  has  its  necessary  affiliations  with  religion.  It  is  impossible  to 
teach  history  adequately — I  will  say  it  is  impossible  to  teach  history  honestly — 
without  giving  a  large  place  to  the  history  of  religion,  and  we  have  found 
that  almost  all  subjects  are  taught  most  effectively  when  they  are  taught  his- 


45 

torically.  A  professor  of  high  rank  in  one  of  our  leading  colleges  complains 
that  a  most  valuable  aid  to  literary  appreciation  has  gone  out  of  this  gener- 
ation of  young  men  with  their  diminished  acquaintance  with  the  English  Bible. 
It  is  safe  to  say  that  any  college  whose  students  are  losing  the  culture  which 
comes  from  hearing  the  English  Bible  read  in  connection  with  daily  worship 
is  withholding  from  them  a  discipline  in  lofty  sentiments,  noble  thinking,  and 
beautiful  utterance  which  no  other  training  can  supply.  But  the  great  field  for 
the  humanistic  teaching  of  religion  is  in  ethics,  a  subject  which  may  well  call 
for  the  services  of  our  ripest  scholars  and  most  inspiring  teachers,  and  which, 
without  any  perversion  of  its  aims  or  any  usurpation  of  prerogative,  may  ex- 
tend its  domain  far  beyond  the  confines  of  any  narrow  code  of  mere  conventional 
morality.  If  it  be  said  that  these  suggestions  open  the  way  for  teaching 
dogma  by  indirection,  for  ecclesiasticism  in  the  guise  of  history,  the  answer 
might  be  that  even  these  would  be  better  than  to  teach  irreligion  or  non- 
religion  by  exclusion.  But  the  better  answer  would  be  that  in  our  age  and 
country  the  spirit  of  intellectual  fairness  will  see  to  it  that  what  is  called 
"  academic  freedom  "  be  compelled  to  recognize  its  obligations  and  bounds,  so 
that  we  need  not  surround  our  academic  chairs  with  suspicion  and  limitation. 

The  same  line  of  thought  may  be  extended  into  other  departments.  Let  us 
go  so  far  afield  as  to  apply  it  to  instruction  in  the  military  art.  The  require- 
ment of  the  act  of  1862,  that  the  Morrill  colleges  give  instruction  in  "  military 
tactics."  was  in  response  to  a  supposed  need  of  the  times,  which  need,  owing 
to  the  efficiency  of  the  militia  in  practically  all  the  States,  has  largely  passed 
away.  But  the  requirement  remains  and  must  be  faithfully  fulfilled.  But 
without  calling  in  the  legal  remedy  "  cy  pres  "  to  meet  changed  conditions,  why 
may  we  not  carry  out  the  spirit  of  the  requirement  without  slavishly  adhering 
to  the  "  letter  which  killeth,"  by  giving  a  humanistic  turn  to  military  studies? 

The  training  now  required  by  the  War  Department  is.  for  the  mass  of  stu- 
dents, that  adapted  to  enlisted  men.  and  has  neither  the  technical  merit  of 
fitting  men  for  their  occupation  in  life — for  these  men  are  not  fitting  to  be  sol- 
diers— nor  that  of  imparting  an  intellectual  discipline  valuable  in  any  calling, 
which  no  one  would  claim  for  the  drill  mainly  in  the  manual  of  arms  as  now 
practiced.  But  the  military  art  has  always  had  and  is  likely  long  to  have  an 
intimate  relation  to  the  progress  of  civilization.  It  is  impossible  to  understand 
the  history  of  any  nation — it  is  impossible  to  understand  nationality  itself,  much 
more  to  understand  international  relations — without  some  knowledge  of  the 
science  and  art  of  war.  We  may  go  further  and  say  that  it  is  not  possible  with- 
out such  knowledge  for  wise  and  good  men  to  mitigate,  abridge,  prevent,  and 
finally  abolish  war  and  bring  in  the  reign  of  universal  peace.  Here  is  a  subject 
which  may  properly  be  classed  as  a  university  subject,  a  subject  which  has  a 
place  in  an  intellectual  career,  and  is  worthy  the  thought  and  study  of  every 
educated  man,  a  study  which  should  include  military  tactics  and  stategy  so  far 
as  to  enable  one  to  understand  campaigns.  1  tattles,  sieges,  fortifications,  ord- 
nance, etc..  and  which  would  be  affiliated  with  history,  international  law.  poli- 
tics, and  sociology,  so  as  to  be  one  of  the  broad,  humanistic  studies  in  a  uni- 
versity man's  preparation  for  a  full  and  liberal  life.  If  it  is  desirable  to  keep 
alive  in  the  best  part  of  the  nation  a  jealous  national  pride  and  a  watchful 
spirit  against  aggression,  that  spirit  of  vigilant  repose  which  is  not  suspicious 
of  danger,  but  which  is  prepared  for  it.  this  spirit  can  be  much  more  effectively 
cultivated  by  the  study  of  war  in  its  historic  and  philosophic  aspects  than  by 
devoting  relatively  so  large  a  part  of  the  time  and  effort  to  the  securing  of  a 
kind  of  efficiency  in  drill  which  in  actual  practice  is  likely  to  be  called  upon 
seldom,  if  ever. 

The  great  problem  of  the  higher  education  now  before  us  is  how  to  integrate 
specialism  with  the  totality  of  which  it  is  a  part.  Since  the  German  university 
idea  got  possession  of  the  pedagogic  mind  in  America  we  have  been  turning 
our  education  into  somewhat  narrow  specialties,  and  the  more  advanced  the 
studies  the  narrower  becomes  the  field  of  operation.  We  have  been  pushing. 
so  to  speak,  our  bark,  or  our  shallop,  into  the  little  creeks  and  rivulets,  far 
up  in  the  remoter  regions  of  a  subject,  and  have  lost  acquaintance  with  the 
ocean,  which  is  at  once  the  source  and  the  outflow  of  all  of  the  tributary 
streams.  It  has  been  the  custom  in  some  quarters  to  speak  contemptuously  of 
fresh-water  colleges.  The  true  university  is  one  which,  physically  located 
either  on  the  seaboard  or  among  the  mountains,  commands  a  broad  outlook  on 
the  great  and  wide  *ea  of  truth  and  humanity  and  deems  nothing  human  alien 
to  it.    The  time  is  coming,  if  it  is  not  now  here,  when  the  institutions  founded 


46 

under  the  act  of  1862  will  be  brought  Into  competition  for  public  approval  and 
patronage  with  the  institutions  which  continue  to  offer  under  enlarged  con- 
ditions a  liberal — that  is.  a  humanistic — education.  On  one  side  of  the  work 
committed  to  us.  our  fame,  as  Webster  said,  "is  gathered  and  safe."  We  are 
adding  to  the  material  wealth  of  the  world  and  are  providing  the  agencies 
and  the  men  by  which  that  wealth  will  he  indefinitely  increased.  If  an  ac- 
count is  called  for  of  acres  under  profitable  cultivation,  of  ton-miles  of  trans- 
portation, of  voltage  in  terms  of  light  and  heat  and  power,  we  could  stand  up 
and  modestly  hear  the  applause  which  would  follow  the  audit.  We  have  made, 
not  two.  hut  five  blades  of  grass  grow  where  but  one  grew  before.  Let  us. 
without  relaxing  our  aims  and  efforts  in  this  direction,  set  before  ourselves 
the  higher  task  of  improving  the  humanity  of  our  people.  Let  us  distinctly 
understand  that,  intrusted  as  we  are  with  the  education  of  a  large  portion  of 
the  people  in  "the  several  pursuits  and  professions  in  life."  it  is  our  business 
to  educate  them  in  those  liberal  arts  which  make  for  the  broadening  and  lift- 
ing and  sweetening  of  life.  For  one  I  do  not  think  that  the  possibilities  of  the 
Morrill  Act  can  be  best  fulfilled  by  gradually  converting  them  into  universities 
for  research.  Let  us.  by  all  means,  have  such  universities.  But  let  the  Mor- 
i-ill colleges  abide  by  their  true  intent,  and  aim  to  combine  technical  instruc- 
tion with  the  truly  humanistic  learning.  A  very  significant  and  somewhat 
startling  question  was  discussed  at  a  recent  meeting  of  the  New  England  Col- 
lege Association,  namely.  "  How  can  we  prevent  illiteracy  in  college  graduates?  " 
Let  us  add  to  the  question,  as  the  facts  warrant  us  in  adding,  how  can  we 
prevent  crudeness.  narrowness,  and  one-ideaness  in  college  graduates,  the  con- 
ceit which  conies  from  limited  knowledge,  the  hardness  which  comes  from 
studying,  things  not  too  much  but  men  not  enough,  the  dryness  and  coldness 
which  betray  the  luck  of  the  ethical  and  religious  elements  of  character.  All 
who  are  responsible  for  the  teaching  force  of  an  institution  will  agree  that 
our  greatest  difficulty  is  in  finding  men  who  are  interested  in  the  personality 
of  those  whom  they  are  to  teach.  It  is  easy  enough  to  find  teachers  who  are 
interested  in  their  subjects,  but  the  true  work  of  a  teacher  is  not  to  use  his 
class  as  a  means  for  his  own  progress  in  his  subject,  but  his  subject  as  a 
means  for  making  men  out  of  his  pupils.  The  call  of  the  country  and  of  the 
times  is  for  a  type  of  educated  man  who  shall  be  a  combination  of  two  sets  of 
qualities  which  are  difficult  of  combination,  but  not  impossible,  for  with 
God  all  things  are  possible — the  man  who  knows  one  subject  thoroughly  and 
the  man  who  knows  many  subjects  fundamentally.  The  Morrill  college  gradu- 
ate should  be  one  who  knows  well  the  essential  principles  of  the  subject  he  has 
chosen  for  his  specialty  and  so  much  of  the  related,  and  especially  the  human- 
istic studies,  as  will  introduce  him  into  the  large  field  of  human  life  and  make 
him  a  life-long  student  and  an  active  participant  in  the  total  life  of  man. 

The  influence  of  a  college  upon  its  students  depends  largely  upon  what  it 
emphasizes  in  its  teaching  and  what  it  incarnates  in  the  personality  of  its 
teachers.  We  are  required  by  our  fundamental  law  to  put  special  emphasis 
upon  certain  pursuits  and  callings.  But  that  should  not  debar  us:  it  should 
rather  encourage  and  stimulate  us  to  put  the  strongest  emphasis  upon  what  in 
any  and  every  educational  institution  is  its  main  object  and  should  be  its 
highest  ambition  and  satisfaction  and  glory,  its  human  output. 

Morning  Session,  Thursday,  November  L5,  1906. 

The  session  was  called  to  order  at  9.30  a.  m..  President  M.  II.  Buckham 
presiding. 

Brown  Ayres.  of  Tennessee,  in  behalf  of  President  Craighead,  of  Tulane 
University,  extended  a  cordial  invitation  to  the  members  of  the  association  to 

visit  that  institution  in  New  Orleans  at  the  close  of  the  convention. 
On  motion  the  invitation  was  accepted  with  thanks. 

Report  of  Committee  ox  Instruction  in  Agriculture. 

A.  ('.  True,  of  the  Oflice  of  Experiment  Stations,  made  the  following  report 
for  the  standing  committee  on  instruction  in  agriculture: 

The  committee  on  instruction  in  agriculture  was  organized  immediately  after 
its  appointment  at  the  convention  of  190,1.  On  invitation  of  the  committee, 
Mr.  D.  J.  Crosby,  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations,  consented  to  act  as  secre- 


47 

tary.  Subcommittees  were  appointed  as  follows:  On  secondary  courses.  A.  C. 
True  and  T.  F.  Hunt;  on  courses  in  home  economics,  II.  T.  French  and  H.  C. 
White:  on  courses  in  rural  engineering,  W.  B.  Stone  and  J.  F.  Duggar. 

It  was  decided  to  adopt  the  plan  of  the  previous  committee  as  regards  the 
making  of  an  arrangement  with  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  to  prepare 
and  publish  a  series  of  illustrative  exercises,  arranged  and  graded  for  use  in 
courses  in  agriculture  in  elementary  schools.  Such  a  series  covering  the 
general  principles  of  the  subject  of  agronomy,  as  outlined  in  the  ninth  report 
of  the  committee  on  teaching  agricultures  has  been  prepared  in  that  Office, 
and  it  is  hoped  will  be  printed  at  an  early  day.  This  will  be  followed  by  similar 
publications  covering  ether  branches  of  agriculture. 

The  subcommittee  on  secondary  courses  decided  to  outline  a  syllabus  of  a 
course  for  use  in  the  regular  public  high  schools  and  to  develop  a  series  of  les- 
sons and  practicums  which  would  more  fully  show  the  character  and  scope  of 
this  course.  The  course  as  outlined  is  for  the  third  and  fourth  years  of  a  high 
school  course  and  presupposes  elementary  instruction  in  botany,  zoology  (includ- 
ing physiology  ^-  and  chemistry  during  the  first  two  years  of  the  course.  This  is 
in  accordance  with  the  plan  for  high  school  courses  outlined  by  the  committee 
on  teaching  agriculture  in  its  seventh  report.* 

In  the  preparation  of  the  lessons  and  practicums  for  this  secondary  course 
the  committee  has  had  the  assistance  of  Dr.  G.  F.  Warren,  an  experienced  high 
school  teacher,  who  has  recently  been  associated  with  Professor  Hunt,  at  Cornell 
University.  It  is  hoped  that  the  syllabus  and  lessons  covering  the  subject  of 
agronomy  can  be  published  at  an  early  day  by  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations. 
The  subcommittee  will  continue  work  along  this  line  covering  the  other  branches 
of  agriculture. 

The  subcommittee  on  courses  in  rural  engineering  has  confined  its  work  thus 
far  principally  to  ascertaining  the  existing  status  of  such  courses  in  the  land- 
grant  colleges  and  has  submitted  a  brief  report  along  this  line. 

The  subcommittee  on  courses  in  home  economics  has  also  confined  its  work 
rhus  far  to  ascertaining  the  existing  status  of  such  courses  in  the  land-grant 
colleges  and  has  submitted  a  brief  report  along  this  line. 

A.  C.  True. 

T.  F.  Hunt. 

H.  T.  French. 

H.   C.   White. 

J.  F.  Duggar. 

W.  E.  Stone. 

Committee. 

report  of  subcommittee  on  college  courses  in  rural  engineering. 

This  report  is  intended  to  do  no  more  than  indicate  progress  regarding  in- 
struction in  rural  engineering.  It  is  believed  that  for  the  present  it  is  best 
to  give  further  study  to  the  epiestion  before  attempting  to  draw  conclusions. 

Of  the  forty-eight  land-grant  colleges  at  least  thirty-two  are  offering  some  in- 
struction which  may  be  classified  under  the  head  of  "  Rural  engineering."  The 
amount  and  quality  of  this  instruction  varies  widely,  and  the  fact  that  this 
branch  of  agricultural  education  is  at  present  in  an  extremely  unsystematic 
and  unpedagogic  state  is  impressed  by  a  study  of  the  data  at  hand.  There  is 
no  uniformity  in  the  nomenclature  of  subjects  taught  and  no  common  under- 
standing as  to  their  scope  or  application. 

Under  these  conditions  it  is  difficult  to  classify  or  to  describe  the  present 
status  of  instruction  in  this  field.  It  is  at  least  evident,  however,  that  there  is 
a  growing  recognition  of  the  importance  of  the  subject,  and  that  efforts  are 
being  made  to  bring  it  into  more  consistent  and  teachable  form. 

The  field  is  wide  when  one  includes  the  entire  country,  and  the  particular 
needs  for  instruction  in  different  subjects  will  vary  according  to  localities. 
For  this  reason  each  institution  must  in  a  way  develop  its  own  courses  with 
reference  to  its  own  conditions.  Since  the  entire  subject  is  in  a  state  of  evolution, 
it  is  believed  that  the  better  plan  will  be  for  the  colleges  not  to  attempt  too 
wide  a  range  of  work  at  the  first,  selecting  rather  a  few  subjects  of  prime  im- 
portance to  the  given  State  or  region,  and  attempting  to  do  only  as  much  as 
can  be  well  done. 

«  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr..  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  Circ.  GO. 
b  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr..  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  Circ.  49. 

26140— No.  184—07  M 4 


48 

The  dearth  of  competent  instructors  and  of  text-books  renders  it  a  matter  of 
no  small  difficulty,  from  an  administrative  standpoint,  to  inaugurate  and  main- 
tain such  courses. 

Nearly  all  of  our  institutions  have  developed  courses  in  mechanic  arts,  with 
competent  instructors.  Probably  it  will  be  better  at  first  to  utilize  the  men  and 
equipment  of  these  departments  in  teaching  the  principles  of  rural  engineering 
rather  than  to  attempt  to  establish  full-fledged  separate  departments.  Land 
surveying,  road  construction,  shop  practice,  drawing,  the  use  of  cement  and  con- 
crete, mortars,  and  the  principles  of  mechanics  are  elementary  and  fundamental 
to  all  engineering  practice,  and  the  student  of  agriculture  does  not  require  a 
special  instructor  in  these  any  more  than  in  mathematical-  English  or  elemen- 
tary chemistry. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  application  of  these  principles  to  farm  operations, 
equipment,  drainage,  irrigation,  and  construction  may  well  be  taught  by  instruct- 
ors versed  in  this  special  branch  of  agriculture.  It  will  be  possible  under  this 
plan  for  colleges  to  give  much  valuable  instruction  in  the  elements  of  rural 
engineering  without,  at  the  beginning,  the  addition  of  new  instructors  or  equip- 
ment, although  as  interest  develops  these  will  be  necessary. 

It  is  useless  to  attempt  instruction  in  these  subjects  by  class-room  teaching 
alone.  There  must  be  laboratory  practice  and  field  work  with  commercial 
equipment,  dealing  with  real  problems. 

Only  a  few  institutions  now  have  separate  departments  for  giving  instruc- 
tion in  rural  engineering.  Two  or  three  have  buildings  specially  designed  and 
equipped  for  the  work.  At  the  other  extreme  are  those  institutions  which  give 
only  a  minimum  of  class-room  instruction  in  one  or  two  subjects. 

Existing  practice  has  developed  sufficiently  to  indicate  at  least  what  are  some 
of  the  more  important  subjects  for  instruction.  These  may  be  taken  as  the  basis 
of  projected  courses,  although  it  is  doubtful  if  any  given  institution  would  care 
to  give  first  rank  to  all.  Some  of  these  subjects  are  fundamental,  others  dis- 
tinctly of  special  significance.     They  may  be  enumerated  as  follows  : 

(1)  Shop  practice,  (2)  surveying,  (3)  drawing,  (4)  layout  of  the  farm,  (5) 
farm  buildings  and  fences,  (6)  water  system,  (7)  irrigation,  (8)  drainage,  (0) 
road  construction,   (10)  farm  mechanics  and  machinery. 

Rural  engineering  has  an  incidental  and  a  supplementary  place  in  the  general 
college  course  in  agriculture.  It  should  not  occupy  time  and  place  to  the 
exclusion  of  subjects  of  more  general  application,  included  in  agronomy,  animal 
husbandary,  dairying,  and  horticulture. 

On  the  other  hand,  rural  engineering,  as  a  preparation  for  a  career  or  a 
profession,  consists  in  the  application  of  fundamental  engineering  principles,  and 
should  be  approached  through  a  thorough  and  careful  engineering  training 
upon  which  the  application  to  farming  operations,  materials,  and  machines  is 
finally  developed. 

The  following  table  shows  the  extent  to  which  rural  engineering  subjects  are 
now  taught  in  the  land-grant  colleges,  so  far  as  information  has  been  available. 
The  figures  state  the  number  of  institutions  giving  the  respective  courses  as 
required  or  elective  in  courses  in  agriculture. 

Number  of  land-grant  colleges  </irin</  the  rural  engineering  subjects  named. 


Subject. 


Farm  mechanics . . 
Farm  buildings  ... 

Surveying 

Road  construction . 
Fence  construction 

Shop  practice 

Drawing 

Drainage - 

Cement  work 

Irrigation 


Required. 


Elective. 


Total. 


Additional  study  will   be  required  before  a   detailed   syllabus   for  courses  in 
rural  engineering  can  be  outlined. 

YV.  E.  Stone. 
J.  F.  Duggar, 
Subcommittee* 


49 

REPORT   OF   SUBCOMMITTEE   ON    1  XSTKITTIOX    IX    DOMESTIC    SCIENCE. 

II.  T.  French,  of  Idaho,  submitted  a  brief  preliminary  report  for  the  subcom- 
mittee on  this  subject,  summarizing  information  regarding  titles  of  domestic 
science  courses  in  the  land-grant  colleges,  length  of  the  courses,  number  of 
teachers  employed,  and  students  enrolled,  obtained  in  response  to  a  circular 
letter  of  inquiry  sent  to  the  various  colleges.  The  report  was  based  niton  '2'2 
replies  to  this  circular  letter.  These  showed  great  lack  of  •uniformity  in  the 
titles  of  the  courses  corresponding  with  a  variation  in  the  character  of  the 
courses  themselves.  It  was  made  evident  that  much  attention  is  being  given  to 
the  arranging  of  courses  in  domestic  science  in  the  agricultural  colleges  and 
that  there  is  great  need  of  an  ideal  or  a  standard  course  to  serve  as  a  guide  in 
the  organization  of  such  instruction. 

Report  of  Committee  on  Graduate  Study — Graduate  School  of  Agriculture 
at  the  University  of  Illinois.  1900. 

L.  H.  Bailey,  of  New  York,  presented  the  following  report  of  the  standing 
committee  on  this  subject: 

The  work  of  your  committee  on  graduate  study  has  been  confined  to  the 
holding  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture  at  the  University  of  Illinois. 
The  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture  is  an  institution  of  this  Association  of 
American  Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations.  It  is  an  agency 
whereby  the  association  aims  to  perform  a  piece  of  constructive  work  that  shall 
have  a  definite  and  lasting  influence  on  education.  The  committee  desires 
briefly  to  outline  the  purpose  and  the  character  of  this  work. 

Purpose. — This  graduate  work  stands  for  a  kind  of  teaching  that  lies  beyond 
the  college  grade  and  that  makes  strongly  for  originality  and  personality. 
This  enterprise  expresses  the  conviction  of  the  association  that  agricultural 
subjects  are  as  capable  as  any  others  of  advanced  study,  that  they  have  equal 
and  similar  pedagogical  value,  and  that  there  is  need  of  the  pursuit  of  them. 
The  colleges  of  agriculture  have  scarcely  yet  entered  the  sphere  of  graduate 
work.  The  probability  is  that  what  little  work  there  is  of  this  kind  is  graduate 
mostly  in  name  rather  than  in  substance.  This  association  stands  for  good 
public  policy  in  rural  affairs,  good  progress  in  research  work,  and  good  accom- 
plishments in  collegiate  educational  work.  It  now  stands  also  for  the  com- 
pleting of  its  opportunity  and  purpose  in  the  establishing  and  defining  of  p  >st- 
graduate  teaching.  There  are  perhaps  four  epochs  in  educational  training. 
each  requiring  somewhere  near  four  years  more  or  less— primary,  secondary. 
collegiate,  post-graduate  or  university. 

In  agricultural  education  the  third  or  collegiate  epoch  is  now  well  developed. 
The  system  is  yet  both  footless  and  headless.  If  this  association  is  to  concern 
itself  with  colleges  and  research,  it  can  not  escape  the  responsibility  of  fur- 
thering post-graduate  work,  or  of  dignifying  it. 

The  unqualified  success  of  the  second  session  of  the  graduate  school  estab- 
lished the  fact  that  graduate  work  is  in  demand.  This  school  is  now  the  only 
meeting  ground  for  teachers  and  investigators  in  agriculture.  The  comradeship 
of  it  is  itself  worth  the  while. 

Yet  only  about  half  the  agricultural  colleges  sent  students,  indicating  either 
that  the  need  of  the  postgraduate  work  is  not  yet  generally  felt  or  that  there 
is  lack  of  confidence  in  this  particular  kind  of  effort.  The  experience  with  the 
two  sessions  of  the  graduate  school  indicates  that  no  agricultural  college  or  ex- 
periment station  can  afford  not  to  partake  in  it  if  the  institution  expects  to 
keep  in  living  touch  with  the  knowledge  and  opinions  of  the  day.  With  the 
great  and  increasing  demand  for  trained  men  the  work  of  the  graduate  school 
in  aiding  to  fit  them  becomes  of  a  special  importance. 

It  is  also  of  great  advantage  to  any  State  to  have  a  graduate  school  held  within 
its  limits,  because  it  challenges  attention  and  raises  questions  and  sets  ideals. 
It  is  equally  true  that  nothing  will  more  surely  vitalize  the  college  at  which 
it  fs  held.  The  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture  is  blocking  out  new  lines  of 
pedagogical  work. 

Character  of  the  work. — The  work  of  the  school  should  be  really  postgraduate. 
The  association,  therefore,  should  exercise  discrimination  as  to  where  the  school 
shall  be  held.  The  meeting  place  is  not  to  be  chosen  as  a  courtesy  to  any  insti- 
tution. 

Postgraduate  work  is  personal  work  founded  on  investigation.  The  teacher 
must  prepare  for  it  consciously  during  at  least  one  year  in  advance,  to  be  able 


50 

to  bring  to  the  school  new  results  and  fresh  enthusiasm.     Therefore,  the  next 
school  should  be  located  now  and  the  faculty  chosen  at  once. 

It  should  be  a  matter  of  both  pride  and  duty  for  any  teacher  to  accept  a  place 
in  the  faculty  of  the  graduate  school.  The  older  and  experienced  men  owe  it 
to  the  younger  ones  to  give  a  serious  summer  to  this  work  now  and  then. 
Much  of  the  poise  and  inspiration  of  the  school  comes  from  the  presence  of 
men  who  have  attained  to  years  and  positions  of  influence.  There  have  not  been 
enough  of  these  men  at  the  two  sessions  of  the  graduate  school. 

If  graduate  work  is  persona]  work  then  there  should  he  a  very  small  ratio 
between  the  number  of  teachers  and  the  Dumber  of  students;  that  is  to  say.  the 
number  of  teachers  should  he  large.  The  value  of  graduate  work  lies  not  so 
much  in  the  subjects  that  are  announced  as  in  the  men  that  are  announced. 
The  student  should  he  allowed  liberal  choice  of  his  men. 

Details  of  the  last  school. — The  details  of  the  organization,  courses  of  instruc- 
tion, and  incidental  features  of  the  second  session  of  the  Graduate  School  of 
Agriculture  are  given  in  the  supplemenary  records,  which  the  committee  sub- 
mits  herewith.  The  committee  recommends  that  the  report  of  the  dean  and 
registrar,  together  with  all  the  accompanying  papers,  he  published  in  pamphlet 
form,  as  a  history  and  record  of  the  movement  of  this  time.  The  committee 
feels  that  the  graduate  school  undertaking  is  the  beginning  of  a  movement  that 
will  have  great  significance  in  years  to  come.  The  committee  wishes  to  express 
its  feeling  of  gratitude  to  the  many  persons  who  have  cooperated  in  the  work, 
and  especially  to  the  dean.  Dr.  A.  C.  True,  for  much  painstaking  devotion,  and 
to  the  registrar.  Director  Eugene  Davenport,  for  untiring  attention  to  the 
enterprise.  The  association  is  under  special  obligations' to  the  University  of 
Illinois  for  its  liberal  and  whole-hearted  cooperation  in  furtherance  of  the 
work  of  the  school. 

Finances. — The  graduate  school  is  supported  by  three  classes  of  funds:  (1) 
The  fees  of  matriculation  (fixed  at  $10  for  the  second  session)  ;  (2)  contrihu- 
tions  from  agricultural  colleges  and  separate  experiment  stations;  and  (3)  the 
contributions  of  the  holding  institution,  comprising  the  remainder  of  the 
expenditure. 

The  fees  collected  at  the  session  last  summer  amounted  to  $710. 

The  association  at  its  Des  Moines  meeting  authorized  the  committee  to 
request  a  contribution  of  $25  from  its  different  institutions,  to  aid  in  support 
of  the  graduate  school.  The  two  contributions  from  each  institution  are 
supposed  to  go  to  the  support  of  the  succeeding  school;  therefore,  the  date  at 
which  the  contributions  are  due  is  assumed  by  the  committee  to  be  July  1.  in 
each  year,  as  that  is  the  approximate  date  of  the  holding  of  the  school.  For 
the  year  ending  July  1,  1005,  contributions  were  received  from  22  different 
institutions  ($550).  For  the  year  ending  July  1,  1906  (as  collected  up  to 
November  1).  contributions  were  received  from  1(5  institutions  ($400).  This 
makes  a  total  contribution  of  $050,  from  which  is  to  be  deducted  $127.48  for 
traveling  expenses  of  the  graduate  committee. 

The  total  expenses  of  holding  the  second  session  of  the  graduate  school  was 
$3,168.15,  as  appears  iii  detail  in  record  No.  2.  submitted  herewith.  Deducting 
the  available  receipts  leaves  a  net  balance  standing  against  the  University  of 
Illinois  of  $1,635.63.  This  will  be  somewhat  reduced  by  contributions  still 
unpaid. 

liecortls.'i — The  committee  herewith  submits  five  sets  of  records,  as  follows: 

1.  Register  of  the  members  of  the  second  session  of  the  Graduate  School  of 
Agriculture,  July.  1000.  This  shows  a  total  enrollment  of  L31  persons,  as 
against  75  persons  in  the  first  session,  1002. 

2.  Financial  statement  of  the  second  session. 

3.  Circulars,  programmes,  and  other  printed  matter  of  the  second  session. 
-1.   A  report  of  the  dean  and  registrar  of  the  second  session. 

5.   Address  of  Doctor  True  on  the  history  and  aims  of  the  Graduate  School  of 
Agriculture. 
Recommendations. — The  committee  makes  the  following  recommendations: 

(1)  The  association  should  determine  whether  the  institutions  that  incite 
the  school  are  really  manned  and  equipped  for  postgraduate  work.  That  is 
to  say.  its  committee  on  graduate  study  should  not  accept  an  invitation  merely 
as  a  courtesy  to  any  institution,  but  should  exercise  discrimination. 

(2)  The  next  school  should  be  located  now.  and  the  faculty  chosen  at  once. 

a  The  records  of  the  graduate  school   are  filed  in  the  Office  of  Experiment 

Stations. 


.   51 

(3)  That  the  reports  of  the  dean  and  registrar,  together  with  all  accompany- 
ing papers,  he  puhlished  in  pamphlet  form  as  a  history  of  the  movement. 

(4)  That  the  contributions  of  $25  be  continued  and  that  the  date  at  which 
they  are  due  be  assumed  to  be  July  1  in  each  year. 

L.  H.  Bailey, 
H.  P.  Armsby, 

M.     H.     BUCKHAM, 

W.  O.  Thompson, 
Brown  Ayres, 
R.   H.   Jesse, 

Committee. 
The  report,  with  its  recommendations,  was  adopted. 

Report  on  the  Second  Session  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture. 

On  the  invitation  of  the  committee  on  graduate  study  of  the  Association  of 
the  American  Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations  the  undersigned  ac- 
cepted the  offices  of  dean  and  registrar,  respectively,  for  a  second  session  of 
the  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture,  to  be  held  at  the  University  of  Illinois  in 
the  summer  of  1906.  The  committee  acted  promptly  after  the  adjournment  of 
the  Washington  convention  of  the  association,  November  1(3,  1905,  by  accepting 
the  invitation  of  the  president  and  trustees  of  the  University  of  Illinois  to  hold 
the  second  session  of  this  school  at  that  institution,  but  some  delay  in  making 
definite  arrangements  for  the  school  was  caused  by  uncertainty  regarding  the 
time  of  holding  the  next  annual  convention  of  the  association  inasmuch  as  the 
association  had  voted  to  hold  its  next  convention  in  California,  and  it  was  felt 
that  the  school  and  the  convention  should  not  be  held  at  conflicting  dates. 
Before  this  matter  was  finally  decided  the  dean  and  registrar  had  a  preliminary 
consultation  at  Urbana  January  4,  1906,  at  which  time  a  tentative  plan  was 
made  for  courses  of  instruction  and  for  conducting  the  business  of  the  school. 
It  was  agreed  that  the  duties  of  dean  and  registrar,  respectively,  should  be  sub- 
stantially the  same  as  these  officers  had  performed  in  connection  with  the  first 
session  of  the  school.  The  dean  was  to  organize  the  faculty  and  make  arrange- 
ments with  its  members  for  the  work  which  they  should  individually  undertake, 
and  the  registrar  was  to  conduct  the  correspondence  and  other  business  relating 
to  membership  in  the  school  and  make  the  necessary  local  arrangements  for  the 
housing  of  the  school,  laboratory,  and  other  facilities,  board  and  lodging  of 
the  faculty  and  students  while  in  attendance,  etc. 

A  decision  having  been  reached  that  the  second  session  of  the  school  should 
cover  the  four  weeks  from  July  2  to  July  28.  1900,  the  following  preliminary 
programme  for  the  session  was  submitted  by  the  dean  to  the  committee  on 
graduate  study  early  in  February,  1906. 

This  plan  having  been  approved  by  the  committee,  correspondence  with  pro 
posed  members  of  the  faculty  was  at  once  begun  by  the  dean. 

Greater  difficulty  was  experienced  than  in  connection  with  the  first  session  in 
securing  the  consent  of  persons  invited  to  become  members  of  the  faculty.  This 
was  not  due  to  any  unwillingness  to  serve  the  school  or  lack  of  interest  in  its 
success,  but  to  the  interference  of  other  duties  or  to  other  uncontrollable 
causes.  It  is  clear  that  within  the  past  few  years  the  burdens  of  our  leading 
agricultural  teachers  and  investigators  have  greatly  increased.  After  the 
faculty  was  formed  there  were  more  withdrawals  than  in  1902,  caused  almost 
without  exception  by  ill  health. 

Announcements  of  the  school  were  made  by  the  registrar  as  follows : 

Postal  card.  February  3,  2,000  copies;  preliminary  programme,  February  20, 
2.000  copies ;  prospectus,  April  18,  3,000  copies ;  programme,  June  1.  3,000  copies. 
Copies  of  these  announcements  are  submitted  herewith.  These  were  sent  to 
agricultural  colleges  and  station  officers  in  all  the  States  and  Territories  (600), 
farmers'  institute  lecturers  (540),  officers  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture (200),  graduates  of  college  of  agriculture  of  University  of  Illinois  (150), 
and  miscellaneous  applicants.  Copies  of  prospectus  and  programme  were  also 
sent  to  each  dean  and  director  in  packages  of  10  for  distribution  among  the 
graduates  of  his  college.  In  each  instance  the  package  was  accompanied  by  a 
letter  stating  that  additional  copies  could  be  supplied  upon  request.  A  number 
of  such  requests  were  received  and  filled. 

Announcements  were  also  published  in  the  Experiment  Station  Record,  Sc- 
once, and  other  journals,  and  copies  were  sent  to  the  agricultural  press. 

The  university  authorities  put  at  the  disposal  of  the  school  the  large  and 
well-appointed  Agricultural  Building,  which  contains  lecture  rooms  and  offices, 
thoroughly  equipped  laboratories,  and  an  assembly  hall.     The  other  buildings 


52 

of  the  university,  its  library,  and  the  farm  of  600  acres,  with  its  animals,  experi- 
mental fields,  etc.  were  freely  opened  to  the  inspection  and  use  of  the  school. 
A  stenographer  was  provided  for  the  use  of  the  dean,  registrar,  and  members  of 
the  school.  Arrangements  for  hoard  and  lodging  were  made  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  university  for  from  St;  to  $7  per  week.  Memhers  of  the  faculty 
were  assigned  to  places  for  hoard  and  lodging,  and  payment  was  made  in  lump 
sums  by  an  officer  of  the  university  on  behalf  of  the  school. 

The  faculty  included  .'!."»  men.  of  whom  5  were  leading  officers  of  the  D.  S. 
Department  of  Agriculture,  12  were  members  of  the  faculty  of  the  college  of 
agriculture  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  IS  were  professors  or  experts  from 
16  other  agricultural  colleges  and  experiment  stations.  There  were  also  ll' 
men  who  gave  one  or  two  lectures  or  addresses.  In  addition  to  these  the  school 
was  attended  by  91  men,  who  may  he  classed  as  students.  Seventy-one  persons 
paid  the  matriculation  fee.  In  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  the  com- 
mittee, no  fee  was  required  of  any  member  of  the  Illinois  College  faculty,  in 
consideration  of  the  fact  that  honorariums  were  not  received  by  memhers  of 
this  faculty  who  lectured  at  the  school.  The  total  enrolled  membership  was 
131  from  34  States  and  Territories  and  the  District  of  Columbia.  Hungary 
was  also  represented  by  the  professor  of  agricultural  chemistry  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Budapest,  and  there  were  3  students  from  India.  There  were  also 
a  considerahle  numher  of  persons  not  registered  who  attended  one  or  more 
lectures  as  visitors. 

The  second  session  of  the  school  opened  promptly  at  8  a.  m.  July  2.  1906, 
and  continued  four  weeks. 

The  instructors  and  suhjects  in  the  several  courses  were  as  follows: 

AGRONOMY. 
Jeremiah  G.  Mosier,  B.  S. 

Soil  physics  in  practical  agriculture.     One  lecture. 
Cyril  G.  Hopkins,  Ph.  I). 

Methods    of    investigation    relating    to    soil    fertility.     Interpretation    of 

results. 
Soils  deficient  in  nitrogen,  in  phosphorus,  in  potassium. 
Application  and  liberation  of  plant  food — direct  and  indirect  effects. 
Possible  systems  of  permanent  agriculture,  with  maximum  and  minimum 
crop  yields. 
Edward  B.  Voorhees,  I).  Sc. 

The  role  of  fertilizers  in  soil  fertility.     Five  lectures. 
II.  J.  Wheeler,  Ph.  I). 

Lime   and   magnesia    in   their   relation    to   soils   and   plant   growth.     Two 

lectures. 
Soda  and  potash  in  their  mutual  relations  to  soils  and  plant  growth  and 

to   the   ash   constituents.     Two   lectures. 
Certain    phosphates    in    their    relations   to    soils   and    plant    growth.     One 
lecture. 
Jacob  G.  Lipman,  Ph.  I). 

Soil  bacteriology  in  its  general  relation  to  crop  production. 

The  chemical  phases  of  decay   involved  in  the  transformation  of  organic 

and  inorganic  constituents  in  the  soil. 
Oxidation  processes   in  the  soil:  The  formation  of  nitrites  and  nitrates. 
Deoxidation  processes  in  the  soil:  Denitrification. 

Bacteria]   synthesis  of   nitrogenous   compounds:  The   fixation   of   atmos- 
pheric nitrogen. 
A.  X.  Hume.  M.  S. 

Field  crops.     Two  lectures. 
Mark  A.  Carleton,  M.  S. 

Field  crops.     Three  lectures.  • 

Charles  W.  Burkott,  Ph.  D. 

Grasses    and    forage    plants    for    the    South.      Methods    of    teaching.      Five 
lectures. 
William  J.  Spillman.  M.  S. 

Types  of  cropping  systems.      Two  lectures. 
Relation  of  types  of  farming  to  fertility.      One  lecture. 
Distribution  of  grasses  and  forage  plants.    One  lecture. 
T.  Lyttleton  Lyon.  Ph.  I). 

Modifications    in    growth,    structure,    yield,    and    composition    of    certain 
crops  under  different  conditions  of  soil  and  climate.     Five  lectures. 


53 

ZOQTECHNY. 

Whitman  II.  Jordan.  D.  S. 

Principles  of  nutrition.     Five  lectures. 
Henry  P.  Armsby,  Ph.  D..  LL.  D. 

Feeding  for  meat  production.     Five  lectures. 
Henry  J.  Waters.  P>.  S.  A. 

The  profitable  use  of  protein  in  the  production  of  beef.     Two  lectures. 

Limitations  in  baby  beef  production.     Two  lectures. 

The  influence  of  condition  upon  the  rate  and  cost  of  gain.     One  lecture. 
Charles  F.  Curtiss.  M.  S.  Agr. 

Perfection  of  finishing.     Five  lectures. 
Herbert  W.  Mumford.  B.  S. 

Economic   interpretation   of  data   secured   in   feeding   experiments.     Five 
lectures. 
Robert  S.  Shaw.  B.  S.  A. 

Northern  cattle  production.     Five  lectures. 
W.  J.  Fraser.  M.  S. 

Dairy  husbandry.     One  lecture. 
W.  Dietrich.  M.  S. 

Swine  husbandry.     Two  lectures. 
Charles  S.  Plumb.  B.  S. 

The  live-stock  market. 

Cattle  judging. 

Animal-husbandry  thesis. 

Use  of  the  library. 

The  herd  book  and  its  uses. 
M.  F.  Horine. 
Theo.  Closz. 
J.  J.  Ferguson. 

The  packing  and  marketing  of  meat. 

HORTICULTURE.    PLANT    PHYSIOLOGY.    AND    PATHOLOGY. 
HORTICULTURE. 

Spencer  A.  Beach.  M.  S.  A. 

Systematic  pomology.     Two  lectures. 

The  apple. 

Horticultural  records. 
Joseph  C.  Blair. 

The  present  status  of  horticulture  in  the  Central  West. 

The  cold-storage  problem. 
John  W.  Lloyd.  M.  S.  A. 

Investigations   regarding   factors    influencing   the   earliness   of  yield   and 
quality  of  muskmelons. 
Charles  S.  Crandall.  M.  S. 

The  conduct  of  an  experiment. 

Making  records. 
U.  P.  Iledrick.  M.  S. 

Factors  governing  the  adaptations  of  fruits. 

The  formation  of  fruit  buds. 

Orchard  ecology. 

The  influence  of  weather  on  setting  of  fruits. 

The  needs  of  horticultural  experimentation. 

Methods  in  experimentation  and  economics  in  horticulture. 
John  Craig.  M.  S. 

Pruning  orchard  fruits. 

The  grape. 

The  present  status  of  horticulture  in  the  eastern  United  States. 

Fruit  bud  development. 

PLANT    PHYSIOLOGY. 

George  E.  Stone,  Ph.  D. 

Electricity  and  plant  growth.     Two  lectures. 

Physiology  and  pathology  of  shade  trees.     One  lecture. 

Physiological  and  pathological  troubles  in  greenhouses.     Two  lectures. 
Charles  F.  Hottes.  Ph.  D. 

Plant    physiology — demonstration    lectures    and    discussion    of    methods. 
Three  lectures. 


54 

PLANT    PATHOLOGY. 

Thomas  J.  Burrill,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Plant    diseases:     Characteristics    and    methods    of    investigation.     Two 
lectures. 
Merton  B.  Waite,  B.  S. 

Diseases  of  orchard  fruits  with  special   reference  to  different  types  of 
diseases  affecting  apples,  pears,  and  other  fruits.     Five  lectures. 
Lewis  K.  Jones.  Ph.  D. 

Potato  diseases,  including  relations  of  development  of  the  potato  to  sus- 
ceptibility, disease  resistance,  etc.     Five  lectures. 

PLANT  AND  ANIMAL  BREEDING. 

Herbert  J.  Webber,  Ph.  D. 

The  history  and  primary  factors  of  plant  breeding. 

The  causes  and  kinds  of  variations  and  their  importance  to  the  breeder. 

The  improvement  of  plants  by  selection. 

The  theories  and  laws  of  hybrids  and  their  importance  in  practical  breed- 
ing work. 

The  use  of  hybridization  in  practical  plant  breeding. 
Nels  E.  Hansen,  M.  S. 

De  Candolle's  law  of  hardiness  in  prairie  horticulture. 

Travels  and  studies  in  America,  Europe,  and  Asia. 

Work  with  orchard  and  small  fruits. 

Laws  and  methods  of  producing  variation. 

Present  status  of  and  prospects  for  prairie  fruit  breeding. 
Eugene  Davenport,  M.  Agr. 

Variation  and  type. 

The  mathematical  nature  of  descent. 

Regression  and  the  regression  table. 

Correlation  and  coefficient  of  heredity. 
Henry  L.  Rietz,  Ph.  1). 

Statistical  methods  applied  to  problems  in  breeding. 

General  character  of  arguments  based  upon  statistics. 
Geoi-ge  M.  Rommel,  B.  S.  A. 

Some  pressing  problems  in  animal  breeding.     Three  lectures. 
David  Castleman,  major,  U.  S.  A. 

Breeding  saddle  horses. 
C.  D.  Woods.  Sc.  D. 

Breeding  hens  for  egg  production. 
X.  II.  Gentry. 

Breeding  Berkshire  hogs. 

Public  exercises  were  held  on  the  evening  of  July  4  when  the  school  was 
welcomed  to  the  university  by  Dr.  T.  J.  Burrill,  vice-president  of  the  university. 
Prof.  L.  H.  Bailey  presided  and  made  an  address  in  which  he  pointed  out  the 
need  of  a  comprehensive  system  of  agricultural  education  comprising  institu- 
tions or  departments  for  research,  graduate  study,  college  courses,  extension 
work  and  secondary  and  elementary  courses.  The  graduate  school  is  needed  to 
aid  in  the  more  complete  establishment  of  such  a  system  and  to  stimulate  work 
ers  in  our  agricultural  institutions  to  more  thorough  study  and  research.  Dr. 
A.  C.  True  gave  a  short  history  of  the  graduate  school  and  pointed  out  1 1  it-  great 
development  of  agricultural  education  and  research  in  this  country  since  the 
first  session  of  the  school  was  held  at  Columbus.  Ohio,  four  years  ago.  He  also 
called  attention  to  the  pressing  need  for  more  trained  workers  in  different 
branches  of  agricultural  service1.  The  claim  was  made  that  the  battle  for 
adequate  recognition  of  agriculture  in  our  higher  institutions  of  learning  is 
essentially  won  and  that  our  leading  educators  ,,re  convinced  that  agriculture 
in  some  form  should  form  a  pari  of  the  industrial  element  of  public  school  edu- 
cation. It  was  pointed  out  that  so  great  is  the  public  interest  in  agricultural 
education  and  research  that  funds  are  coming  to  our  agricultural  institutions 
fully  as  fast  as  they  can  be  utilized  and  that  a  very  great  responsibility  is  being 
laid  on  our  agricultural  teachers  and  scientists  to  make  the  best  use  of  the 
money  put  in  their  bands.  A  paper  by  Dr.  II.  W.  Wiley.  Chief  of  the  Bureau 
of  Chemistry,  was  also  presented,  in  which  the  meager  opportunities  for  study 
along  agricultural   lines   in  preparation    for   the  doctor's  degree  at  our  leading 


55 

universities  were  shown  and  contrasted  with  the  wider  opportunities  for  such 
work  offered  in  the  German  universities. 

A  conference  for  the  discussion  of  general  cpiestions  relating  to  the  organ- 
ization of  agricultural  education  and  research  was  held  July  7.  Dean  Daven- 
port outlined  the  organization  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  of  the  University 
of  Illinois.  The  system  followed  there  involves  the  division  of  authority  and 
work  in  such  a  manner  that  definite  responsibility  is  laid  on  officers  in  the 
several  departments  and  full  credit  is  given  for  each  man's  share  in  the  work. 
Questions  involving  "team  work"  are  discussed  at  meetings  of  the  workers, 
and  every  effort  is  made  to  secure  full  agreement  on  plans  before  their  execution 
is  attempted.  It  is  assumed  that  responsibility  for  progress  in  the  various 
agricultural  lines  lies  fundamentally  with  the  associations  of  farmers  repre- 
senting these  interests,  e.  g.,  animal  husbandry  and  horticulture.  This  insures 
not  only  interest  in  college  and  station  work  on  the  part  of  these  organizations, 
but  it  also  secures  financial  and  moral  support  of  the  leading  and  presumably 
the  more  progressive  farmers  of  the  State,  not  as  individuals,  but  in  an  organ- 
ized, capacity. 

Professor  Bailey  argued  in  favor  of  the  establishment  of  regular  provision  for 
agricultural  studies  leading  to  the  doctor's  degree  in  our  universities,  and  would 
make  this  a  matter  to  be  controlled  by  the  university  rather  than  by  the  college 
of  agriculture.  He  also  favored  the  simplification  of  degrees  and  would  have 
Ph.  D.,  M.  S.,  and  B.  S.  (or  M.  A.  and  B.  S.)  the  only  degrees  to  be  conferred 
in  course.  This  suggestion  met  with  much  approval  from  members  of  the 
graduate  school. 

Dr.  W.  H.  Jordan,  director  of  the  New  York  State  Experiment  Station,  spoke 
very  earnestly  of  the  need  of  more  thorough  scientific  research  along  agricultural 
lines  and  impressed  his  hearers  with  the  great  importance  of  maintaining  the 
strictest  integrity  in  making  and  recording  agricultural  investigations. 

Dr.  W.  O.  Thompson,  president  of  the  Ohio  State  University  and  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  graduate  school,  gave  a  brief  account  of  the  origin  of  the  school 
and  expressed  his  strong  belief  in  its  value  as  an  aid  to  broadening  and  strength- 
ening our  system  of  agricultural  education.  lie  predicted  that  it  would  have  a 
career  of  increasing  success  and  usefulness. 

Dr.  Brown  Ayres.  president  of  the  University  of  Tennessee,  spoke  from  the 
standpoint  of  one  interested  in  general  educational  advancement  and  emphasized 
the  importance  of  the  movement  for  the  development  of  a  thorough  system  of 
agricultural  education.  Interesting  remarks  were  also  made  by  Mr.  L.  II. 
Kerrick,  chairman  of  the  committee  on  agriculture  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
the  University  of  Illinois,  and  Mr.  Joseph  Carter,  former  superintendent  of 
schools  of  Champaign,  111. 

A  conference  on  extension  work  in  agriculture  was  held  July  21.  At  this 
meeting  Prof.  John  Hamilton,  Farmers'  Institute  Specialist  of  the  Office  of 
Experiment  Stations,  outlined  a  somewhat  comprehensive  plan  for  the  extension 
work  of  the  agricultural  colleges  and  urged  the  importance  of  organizing 
a  corps  of  special  workers  for  this  service.  Mr.  C.  A.  Shamel.  editor  of  the 
Orange  Judd  Farmer,  explained  the  requisites  of  appropriate  articles  by  col- 
lege men  for  the  agricultural  press.  Mr.  F.  H.  Rankin,  superintendent  of 
extension  work  in  the  Illinois  College  of  Agriculture,  explained  the  methods 
employed  by  this  institution  to  arouse  the  interest  of  boys  and  girls  in  agri- 
cultural education,  discussed  the  question  of  competitive  contests  and.  prize 
giving,  and  urged  that  the  burden  of  providing  funds  for  this  and  other  forms 
of  agricultural  education  should  be  laid  on  the  agricultural  organizations. 
Prof.  J.  L.  Stone,  of  Cornell  University,  described  the  different  forms  of  exten- 
sion work  undertaken  by  that  institution  and  emphasized  especially  the  coop- 
erative demonstration  experiments  conducted  by  farmers  in  different  parts  of 
the  State  as  an  efficient  means  of  interesting  farmers  in  station  work.  Director 
Burnett,  of  the  Nebraska  Experiment  Station,  who  is  in  charge  of  farmers' 
institutes  in  that  State,  briefly  described  the  institute  work  there,  and  urged 
that  college  men  give  more  attention  to  the  practical  problems  of  the  farmers 
when  attending  institutes.  Mr.  I).  J.  Crosby,  expert  in  agricultural  education, 
of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations,  described  the  work  of  the  Office  with  ref- 
erence to  agricultural  schools,  and  asked  for  the  cordial  cooperation  of  college 
men.  The  dean  of  the  graduate  school  briefly  urged  the  importance  of  such 
training  in  English  in  the  agricultural  colleges  as  would  fit  their  graduates 
to  be  effective  speakers  and  writers. 


56 

A  reception  was  given  at  the  residence  of  Dean  Davenport  Friday  evening, 
July  c».  This  was  attended  by  about  200  persons,  including  many  members  of 
the  faculty  of  the  University  of  Illinois. 

On  Saturday.  July  14,  about  7<»  members  of  the  school  visited  the  extensive 
estate  (about  27. 000  acres)  of  the  Funk  Brothers,  near  Bloomington,  111.,  where 
crop  and  animal  production  on  a  large  scale  under  the  best  conditions  were 
seen,  as  well  as  considerable  experimental  work  in  breeding  corn  and  oats. 
The  proprietors  entertained  this  party  in  a  most  generous  manner  and  con- 
cluded by  giving  them  a  dinner  at  the  hotel  at  Bloomington,  at  which  Hon. 
L.  II.  Kerrick  presided,  and  brief  speeches  were  made  by  the  dean  and  other 
members  of  the  graduate  school. 

Informal  meetings  were  held  several  evenings  at  the  college  of  agriculture, 
at  which  questions  relating  to  various  phases  of  agricultural  education  were 
discussed.  Among  the  subjects  thus  discussed  were  methods  of  teaching  agron- 
omy, the  organization  of  secondary  and  elementary  courses  in  agriculture,  and 
the  science  of  agriculture  as  a  basis  for  the  organization  of  a  system  of  agricul- 
tural education.  Much  interest  developed  in  the  subjects  presented  by  the 
different  lecturers  at  the  regular  sessions,  and  there  was  a  large  amount  of 
informal  discussion  of  the  subjects  presented  wherever  members  of  the  school 
niel  together. 

Within  the  period  covered  by  the  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture  a  Graduate 
School  of  Household  Science  was  held  at  the  Woman's  building  under  the 
general  management  of  the  department  of  household  science  of  the  College  of 
Agriculture  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  This  was  attended  by  about  20 
teachers  and  other  women  from  a  number  of  different  States.  A  number  of  the 
members  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture  attended  some  lectures  at  this 
school,  and  addresses  were  given  there  by  the  dean  and  registrar  of  the  Gradu- 
ate School  of  Agriculture. 

The  dean  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture  and  Prof.  J.  L.  Stone,  of  Cor- 
nell University,  a  member  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture,  gave  ad- 
dresses on  agricultural  education  at  the  general  assembly  of  the  summer  school 
of  the  University  of  Illinois. 

A  meeting  of  the  association  of  dairy  instructors  and  investigators  in  the 
agricultural  colleges  and  experiment  stations  was  held  July  17-1!).  and  members 
of  the  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture  were  especially  invited  to  participate  in 
the  meeting  of  this  association  held  on  the  evening  of  July  17,  at  which  time 
addresses  were  made  by  the  dean  and  registrar. 

The  general  convention  of  the  Alpha  Zeta  Fraternity,  which  is  made  up  of 
students  in  agricultural  colleges,  was  held  July  10  and  11.  Delegates  from 
11  colleges  were  present,  and  the  convention  was  closed  with  a  banquet  attended 
by  about  50  men,  among  whom  were  the  dean  and  registrar  and  several  other 
members  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture,  as  invited  guests. 

When  news  of  the  death  of  Hon.  II.  C.  Adams  was  received  the  following 
resolution  was  adopted  at  a  meeting  of  the  school : 

"  The  members  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture  of  the  Association  of 
American  Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations,  now  in  session  at  the 
University  of  Illinois,  comprising  representatives  of  the  agricultural  colleges  and 
experiment  stations  in  27  States  and  Territories,  desires  to  place  on  record 
their  appreciation  of  the  inestimable  service  rendered  to  the  cause  of  agri- 
cultural education  and  research  in  the  United  States  by  the  late  Hon.  Henry 
Cullen  Adams,  of  Wisconsin,  while  a  Member  of  the  National  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, in  securing  the  passage  of  an  act  of  Congress  for  the  further 
endowment  of  the  agricultural  experiment  stations,  which  will  forever  bear 
his  name  and  associate  him  in  the  minds  of  our  people  with  Senator  Morrill,  of 
Vermont,  and  Representative  Hatch,  of  Missouri,  through  whose  wise  states- 
manship our  agricultural  colleges  and  experiment  stations  have  been  estab- 
lished and  maintained. 

"Adopted  at  a  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  graduate  school  held  at  Urbana, 
III.,  July  11,  1006. 

"A.  C.  True,  Dc<ui. 

"  Eugene  Davenport,  Registrar" 

The  following  statement  was  made  to  the  president  and  trustees  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois : 

"The  members  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture,  held  at  the  University 
of  Illinois  .Inly  2-28,  1906,  desire  to  express  to  the  president  and  trustees  of  the 
University  of  Illinois  their  high  appreciation  of  the  generosity  shown  in  giving 


57 

this  school  the  use  of  the  buildings  and  equipment  of  the  university  and  In  pro- 
viding for  its  financial  support." 

The  following  resolutions  were  received  at  the  end  of  the  session  : 

"  Whereas  the  second  session  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Agriculture  of  the 
Association  of  Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations,  held  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois,  has  heen  highly  successful  and  of  great  benefit  to  those  of  us 
who  have  been  in  attendance,  which  benefits  will  he  indirectly  felt  in  every  agri- 
cultural college  and  experiment  station  ;    and 

"  Whereas  the  results  are  in  large  measure  due  to  the  generous  efforts  and 
cooperation  of  Dean  A.  C.  True  and  Registrar  Eugene  Davenport  in  promoting 
and  administering  the  affairs  of  the  school,  and  to  the  courtesy  of  the  faculty  of 
the  College  of  Agriculture  of  the  University  of  Illinois  in  providing  facilities 
for  the  work  and  accommodation  of  the  visitors  :  Therefore,  be  it 

"Resolved,  That  we,  the  undersigned  members  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Agri- 
culture, hereby  express  our  appreciation  and  gratitude  to  these  gentlemen,  per- 
sonally, and  to  the  institutions  which  they  represent  for  these  attentions  and 
courtesies." 

(Signed  by  47  members  of  the  school.) 

No  special  effort  was  made  to  advertise  the  school  widely  or  to  increase  the 
number  of  students  by  offering  any  special  inducements.  It  was  felt  that  it 
would  be  well  to  determine  at  this  session  whether  the  agricultural  colleges 
and  experiment  stations  would  take  sufficient  interest  in  a  graduate  school  of 
agriculture  to  send  to  it  a  goodly  number  of  students  without  any  special 
pressure.  This  question  having  been  settled  in  the  affirmative,  the  managers 
of  future  sessions  can  go  ahead  with  confidence  to  organize  the  enterprise 
somewhat  more  broadly  and  to  impress  the  usefulness  of  such  a  school  on  a 
somewhat  wider  constituency. 

The  plan  of  having  the  lecture  periods  one  hour  with  a  half  hour  following 
for  questions  and  discussion  worked  well  and  is  preferable  to  longer  lecture 
periods.  The  seminars  were  also  well  attended  and  were  approved  by  both 
faculty  and  students.  It  would  probably  be  desirable  at  future  sessions  to  make 
provision  for  the  more  definite  and  thorough  presentation  of  matters  relating 
to  the  organization  of  courses  of  instruction  and  to  methods  of  teaching. 

There  was  some  disappointment  that  the  courses  offered  at  this  session  did 
not  cover  a  wider  range.  This  was  expressed  especially  with  reference  to  dairy- 
ing and  rural  engineering.  Careful  consideration  should  be  given  to  this  matter 
in  planning  for  future  sessions. 

The  interest  in  the  work  of  the  school  was  well  sustained  through  the  session. 
There  was  considerable  going  and  coining  of  students,  a  few  even  registering 
during  the  last  week.  Even  those  who  stayed  only  a  few  days  seemed  to  feel 
that  they  had  received  inspiration  and  information  which  made  their  coming 
to  the  school  worth  while. 

The  students  were  more  largely  than  at  the  first  session  the  young  men  en- 
gaged in  college  and  station  work.  There  was  some  disappointment  expressed 
because  there  were  not  in  attendance  more  of  our  mature  and  experienced 
workers  in  agricultural  education. 

The  success  of  this  session  was  in  our  judgment  sufficient  to  make  it  worth 
while  for  the  institutions  represented  in  the  Association  of  American  Agricul- 
tural Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations  to  give  hearty  support  to  this  enterprise, 
to  encourage  their  graduates  to  attend  future  sessions,  and  to  make  some 
definite  provision  for  the  more  general  attendance  of  members  of  their  faculties 
and  station  staff's.  An  effort  should  also  be  made  to  secure  a  larger  attendance 
of  teachers  in  agricultural  schools  and  lecturers  at  farmers'  institutes. 

A.  C.  True,  Dean. 
E.    Davenport,   Ref/istrar.     ' 

Statement  of  receipts  and  disbursements  on  account  of  the  Graduate  School  of 

Agriculture. 

RECEIPTS. 

From  Association  of  American  Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experiment 

Stations $822.  52 

From  matriculation  fees  of  students 710.00 

From  University  of  Illinois 1,03.1.  63 

Total   __  3, 168. 15 


58 

DISBURSEMENTS. 

Honorariums  of  lecturers $1,670.00 

Traveling  expenses  and  hoard  of  lecturers— 1,179.88 

Printing 92.  26 

Labor  and  miscellaneous  expenses 1 I      40  43 

Postage 85.  00 


Total 3,  168.  15 

National  University  at  Washington. 

The  resolution  of  E.  K.  Andrews,  of  Nebraska,  relative  to  the  establishment  of 
a  national  university  at  Washington  was  taken  up  for  consideration,  and  after 
discussion  by  (i.  E.  Fellows,  of  Maine;  Eugene  Davenport,  of  Illinois;  A.  C. 
True,  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations;  J.  L.  Snyder,  of  Michigan;  II.  C. 
White,  of  Georgia  ;  and  K.  I..  Butterfield,  of  Massachusetts,  a  substitute  motion 
by  J.  C.  Hardy,  of  Mississippi,  to  the  effect  "  that  the  whole  matter  of  the 
national  university  be  referred  to  the  executive  committee  with  instructions  to 
take  such  action  as  in  its  judgment  may  seem  wise,  and  to  make  a  full  report  to 
the  association  at  its  next  meeting."  was  adopted. 

Meetings  in  Connection  with  the  National  Educational  Association. 

The  following  resolutions,  offered  by  K.  L.  Butterfield,  of  Massachusetts,  were 
then  taken  up  : 

Recognizing  that  the  recent  rapid  development  of  agricultural  subjects  of 
study  in  our  various  colleges  and  schools  involves  constantly  improved  pedagog- 
ical methods,  and  believing  that  such  improvement  would  be  facilitated  by  occa- 
sional gatherings  of  the  various  instructors  in  agricultural  subjects:  Therefore. 

be    it 

Resolved,  That  the  executive  committee  of  this  association  be  requested  to 
consider  the  feasibility  of  holding  our  association  meetings  at  least  once  in  four 
years  in  connection  with  the  National  Educational  Association,  and  at  that 
meeting  providing  a  programme  the  specific  purpose  of  which  shall  be  the  dis- 
cussion of  methods  of  teaching  agriculture  and  allied  subjects,  and  that  all  the 
institutions  belonging  to  this  association  be  strongly  urged  to  have  the  faculties 
of  their  respective  institutions  present  at  that  gathering. 

Resolved  further,  That  the  executive  committee  be  requested  to  report  later 
on  the  practicability  of  this  plan,  or  any  plan  looking  toward  a  similar  end. 

K.  L.  Butterfield.  In  behalf  of  this  resolution  I  wish  to  say  that  it  is  not 
introduced  so  much  with  the  idea  of  holding  the  meeting  at  the  time  of  the 
Educational  Association  as  it  is  with  the  idea  of  gathering  together  the  great 
mass  of  men  who  are  teaching  agriculture  and  allied  subjects.  It  seems  to 
me  that  these  meetings  are  of  the  utmost  value  to  those  of  us  who  can  attend 
them;  but  my  observation  is  that  the  great  majority  of  the  men  who  are 
engaged  in  the  work  of  teaching  agriculture  and  its  allied  subjects  do  not  get 
in  touch  with  the  spirit  of  the  work,  and  they  can  not  do  it  without  being 
present  at  these  meetings.  It  seems  to  me  that  it  would  be  very  ideal  if  we 
could  have  every  year  a  great  gathering  of  agricultural  teachers;  but  the 
suggestion  is  thai  once  in  four  years  we  attempt  to  bring  together  the  men  who 
are  doing  the  work  in  order  thai  there  might  be  discussions  among  them, 
especially  among  those  who  are  doing  the  work  of  teaching.  This  meeting 
with  the  Educational  Association  is  an  important  matter,  because  the  National 
Educational  Association  stands  for  the  general  educational  movement.  If  our 
men  can  come  in  contact  with  those  men,  it  will  be  of  vast  benefit  to  us.  On  the 
oilier  band,  if  the  Educational  Association  can  come  into  contact  with  our  men 
it    will    be   an    advantage   to    them.      There    may    be   objections    to    holding   these 


59 

meetings  together,  but  that  is  left  to  the  executive1  committee;  and  if  (here 
be  any  better  plan  by  which  this  end  can  be  attained,  then  that  can  be  con- 
sidered by  the  executive  committee  and  they  can  suggest  a  better  plan.  If 
at  least  once  in  every  four  years  we  can  go  en  masse  to  the  Educational  Asso- 
ciation, we  can  not  only  carry  on  our  discussions  along  the  lines  in  which  we 
are  interested,  but  we  can  carry  on  our  discussions  in  regard  to  rural  education. 
The  meat  of  the  question  is  whether  this  association  is  prepared  to  go  a  step 
further  in  its  attempt  to  organize  the  agricultural  associations  of  the  country 
and  take  some  step  by  which  the  men  who  are  teaching,  as  well  as  the  men  who 
are  demonstrating  the  work,  can  be  brought  together.  It  seems  to  me  that  there 
is  no  better  means  of  increasing  the  efficiency  of  our  pedagogical  work  than 
by  this  means.  The  proposition  involved  is  simplicity  itself.  I  move  that  the 
resolution  be  adopted. 

The  matter  was  referred  to  the  executive  committee  for  action. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  and  the  Land-Grant  Colleges. 

L.  A.  Kalbach.  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  read  the  following  paper: 

The  Bureau  of  Education  was  established  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  and 
disseminating  information  on  educational  subjects,  domestic  and  foreign.  In 
other  words,  it  was  intended  to  serve  as  a  clearing  house  where  information 
on  the  various  phases  of  education  might  be  obtained.  In  the  performance  of 
the  duties  for  which  it  was  established,  it  has  collected,  from  its  earliest  days, 
statistical  and  other  information  respecting  the  colleges  represented  in  this  con- 
vention, which  has  been  published  annually  in  the  reports  of  the  Commissioner 
of  Education. 

Prior  to  the  passage  of  the  act  of  Congress  approved  August  30,  1890,  popu- 
larly known  as  the  "  second  Morrill  Act,"  the  rendering  of  reports  to  the 
Bureau  by  the  colleges  here  represented  was  a  purely  voluntary  act,  as  is  the 
case  now  with  all  other  classes  of  educational  institutions.  The  act  referred  to, 
under  which  each  State  and  organized  Territory  within  the  United  States  now 
receives  annually  the  sum  of  $25,000  for  the  benefit  of  the  institutions  estab- 
lished under  the  act  of  July  2.  1802,  requires  certain  reports  to  be  made  annually 
by  such  institutions  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  and  to  the  Secretary  of 
Agriculture,  which  serve  as  a  basis  for  the  certification  of  the  several  States 
for  subsequent  installments  of  the  funds  authorized  by  the  act  of  August  30, 
1890. 

While  the  act  requires  reports  to  be  made  to  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture 
as  well  as  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  the  administration  of  the  act  is,  by 
section  5,  committed  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  When  the  time  came  to 
put  the  act  into  operation,  it  was  to  be  expected  that  the  Secretary  of  the  In- 
terior would  turn  for  assistance  to  the  Bureau  of  Education,  an  office  of  his 
Department,  which  had  for  twenty-three  years  previously  been  in  correspondence 
with  many  of  the  institutions  to  be  endowed  by  said  act.  The  Bureau  has,  there- 
fore, since  1890,  collected  and  passed  upon  the  reports  required  to  be  made  by 
law  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  and  has  recommended  to  him  annually  for 
certification  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  the  States  and  Territories  that  were 
entitled  to  the  funds  appropriated' by  the  act.  The  Bureau  acts  as  the  medium 
of  communication  between  the  Department  of  the  Interior  and  the  several  col- 
leges in  the  same  way  as  does  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  between  the 
Department  of  Agriculture  and  the  agricultural  experiment  stations  in  the  sev- 
eral States  and  Territories. 

In  the  administration  of  the  act  of  August  30,  1890,  it  has  always  been  the 
policy  of  the  Bureau  to  construe  its  provisions  as  liberally  as  possible  without 
violating  the  spirit  and  intent  of  the  act.  While  at  times  it  has  been  found  nec- 
essary to  disallow  certain  expenditures  charged  against  the  funds  appropriated 
by  Congress,  it  must  be  said  that  the  institutions  are  manifestly  endeavoring 
to  restrict  the  expenditure  of  the  funds  to  instruction  in  the  branches  of  study 
enumerated  in  the  act,  and  very  little,  if  any,  friction  has  been  encountered  in 
the  correspondence  of  the  Bureau  with  the  institutions. 

As  stated  before,  the  statistical  and  other  information  furnished  by  the  sev- 
eral institutions  is  published  annually  in  a  chapter  entitled  "Agricultural  and 


60 

Mechanical  Colleges"  in  the  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  In  addi- 
tion to  the  statistical  information  with  respect  to  professors,  students,  prop- 
erty, income,  etc.  the  Chapter  includes  statements  with  respect  to  new  courses; 
of  study,  changes  in  courses  of  study  and  admission  requirements,  and  the 
structural  character,  cost,  and  purpose  of  new  buildings,  in  so  far  as  such 
items  are  communicated  to  the  Bureau.  It  contains  a  summary  of  the  legis- 
lation affecting  the  land-grant  colleges  that  was  enacted  during  the  year 
covered  by  the  report  which  is  compiled  from  the  session  laws  of  the  several 
States.  An  enumeration  of"  the  courses  of  study  offered  by  each  institution  is 
also  given. 

In  the  reports  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  the  years  1902  and  1903 
there  was  published  a  compilation  of  the  laws  relating  to  agricultural  and 
mechanical  colleges,  as  such  laws  appeared  in  the  revised  statutes  of  the  sev- 
eral States,  to  which  were  added  session  laws  of  importance  not  included  in 
the  revised  statutes  or  general  laws.  These  laws,  while  originally  published  in 
two  separate  reports,  have  been  reprinted  and  bound  in  one  volume  and 
may  he  had  on  application  to  the  Bureau. 

Among  the  most  important  legislation  enacted  during  the  year  1905  may  he 
mentioned  the  following: 

Changes  in  the  governing  hoards  of  the  institutions  in  Florida.  Michigan, 
Nevada,  New  York,  and  Pennsylvania  :  a  general  reorganization  of  the  system 
of  higher  education  in  Florida,  including  the  University  of  Florida,  whose  loca- 
tion was  changed  from  Lake  City  to  Gainesville;  provision  for  an  annual 
tax  levy  of  two-sevenths  of  a  mill  in  Wisconsin  and  three  eighths  of  a  mill  in 
Wyoming;  California  appropriated  $150,000  for  a  farm  and  buildings  U>v 
an  agricultural  school ;  Minnesota  provided  for  an  agricultural  school  at 
Crookston.  and  New  Jersey  for  short  courses  in  agriculture.  Utah  pro- 
vided for  a  commission  to  investigate  the  duplication  of  work  by  the  agri- 
cultural colleges  and  the  university.  Wisconsin  appropriated  from  its  general 
fund  $200,000  annually  for  three  years  for  buildings  and  equipment  Con- 
necticut provided  for  the  investment  of  the  land-grant  fund,  and  requires 
the  State  treasurer  to  pay  5  per  cent  per  annum  on  the  principal  of 
said  fund.  Generous  provision  was  made  in  many  other  instances  for  build- 
ings, maintenance,  and  experimentation  in  agricultural  subjects. 

In  1906  Iowa  provided  for  a  special  tax  levy  of  one-fifth  of  1  mill  on  the 
dollar  for  new  buildings;  requires  the  establishment  of  a  department  of 
ceramics;  appropriates  annually  $25,000  additional  for  general  support;  sup- 
port of  engineering  experiment  station.  $3,500;  good-roads  experimentation, 
$5,000,  etc. 

New  York,  which  appropriated  $250,000  in  3004  for  new  buildings  for  the 
State  College  of  Agriculture,  in  1906  appropriated  $100,000  for  the  promotion 
of  agricultural  knowledge  throughout  the  State  and  for  the  maintenance  of 
the  college  of  agriculture. 

Ohio  increased  its  tax  levy  for  the  Ohio  State  University  to  sixteen  one- 
hundredths  of  a  mill,  and  appropriated  from  the  general  fund  of  the  State 
.$45,000  for  land,  $80,000  for  agricultural  buildings.  .$10,000  for  live  stock. 
$75,000  for  engineering  buildings,  $00,000  for  a  woman's  dormitory,  besides  a 
number  of  other  special  appropriations. 

Rhode  Island  has  increased  its  annual  appropriations  from  $15,000  to 
$25,000. 

Virginia  appropriated,  among  other  items,  $50,000  for  the  completion  of  the 
agricultural   building. 

The  reports  furnished  by  the  several  colleges  show  remarkable  growth  in  all 
directions.  In  1895  the  total  number  of  students  reported  in  agricultural  courses 
was  2.712,  while  in  1005,  ten  years  later,  there  were  reported  2.47-'l  students  in 
four-year  courses  and  4,0-15  in  short  and  special  courses,  making  a  total  of  7,418. 
In  the  same  period  the  students  in  engineering  increased  from  5,317  to  12,969. 
The  aid  granted  to  the  colleges  by  the  several  Slides  has  increased  from 
$1,7<SO,2:>>5  in  1S05  to  $5,768,786  in  1005,  an  increase  of  over  220  per  cent.  The 
total  income  of  the  institutions,  omitting  the  experiment  stations,  was.  in  1905, 
over  eleven  and  a  half  million  dollars,  of  which  nearly  one-half  was  furnished 
by  the  States  and  less  than  one-fifth  from  Federal  sources.  The  total  amount 
that  has  been  paid  to  the  institutions  under  the  act  of  August  30.  1890,  is 
$18,802,000. 

These  facts  give  some  idea  as  to  what  the  Bureau  of  Education  is  doing  in  the 
way  of  collecting  and  disseminating  information  with  respect  to  land-grant  col- 
leges.    It  is  the  aim  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  to  make  the  Bureau 


61 

increasingly  useful  to  those  for  whom  it  was  established,  namely,  the  educators 
of  this  country;  to  make  of  it  a  veritable  bureau  of  information  on  educational 
topics.  Especially  does  he  wish  to  make  it  of  greater  service  to  the  institutions 
represented  in  this  association,  and  to  that  end  he  invites  criticisms  and  sugges- 
tions for  the  betterment  of  its  work.  Having  been  connected  for  some  years 
with  one  of  the  institutions  belonging  to  this  association,  he  is.  naturally, 
deeply  interested  in  the  work  being  done  by  you,  and  he  trusts  that  all  of  you 
will  feel  free  to  apply  to  him  for  any  information  that  he  may  be  able  to  give 
or  that  he  may  be  able  to  obtain  for  you.  In  turn,  he  requests  that  he  be 
furnished  promptly,  either  by  means  of  correspondence  or  through  printed 
matter,  with  any  information  that  may  be  of  use  to  other  members  of  this  asso- 
ciation. In  short,  he  asks  for  your  cooperation  in  all  ways  possible  to  make  the 
Bureau  of  greater  value  to  yourselves. 

It  may  be  added  that  the  Commissioner  is  particularly  impressed  with  the 
proposals  which  have  been  made  from  time  to  time  for  the  extension  of  the 
means  of  helpful  cooperation  between  the  Bureau  of  Education  and  the  land- 
grant  colleges,  of  which  the  resolution  adopted  by  this  association  in  1895  is  an 
example.  He  is  particularly  desirous  of  finding  ways  in  which  more  information 
of  a  helpful  character  in  the  prosecution  of  the  work  of  these  colleges  may  be 
collected  by  the  Bureau  and  disseminated  in  the  form  of  additional  publications, 
and  ways  in  which  a  more  personal  and  continuous  relation  may  be  maintained 
between  the  office  at  Washington  and  all  of  the  institutions  represented  in  this 
association. 

Scientific  Investigation  under  Government  Auspices. 

H.  P.  Armsby,  of  Pennsylvania,  offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was 
referred  to  the  executive  committee : 

Resolved,  That  there  be  appointed  by  the  incoming  president  of  this  associ- 
ation a  commission  consisting  of  five  persons,  two  representing  the  research 
efforts  of  this  association,  one  representing  the  United  States  Department  of 
Agriculture,  and  two  representative  scientific  men  not  connected  with  official 
agricultural  investigation,  the  duty  of  which  shall  be  to  inquire  into  and  report 
to  this  association  the  organization  and  policy  that  in  the  opinion  of  the  com- 
mission should  prevail  in  the  expenditure  of  public  money  provided  for  scientific 
experimentation  and  research  in  the  interests  of  agriculture,  to  the  end  that 
such  funds  shall  be  applied  in  the  most  economical,  efficient,  and  worthy  man- 
ner to  the  production  of  results  of  permanent  value.     (For  discussion,  see  p.  62.) 

The  convention  then  adjourned  until  7.30  p.  m. 

Evening  Session.  Thursday,  November  15,  1906. 

The  convention  was  called  to  order  at  S  p.  m..  President  M.  II.  Buckham 
presiding. 

Invitations. 

T.  I).  Boyd  and  W.  R.  Dodson.  of  Louisiana,  invited  the  members  of  the 
association  to  visit  the  Louisiana  State  University  and  the  experiment  stations. 

W.  II.  Jordan,  of  New  York,  invited  the  next  graduate  school  to  hold  its 
sessions  at  Cornell  University  and  Geneva. 

Election  of  Officers. 

L.  H.  Bailey,  of  New  York,  on  nomination  of  C.  F.  Curtiss,  of  Iowa,  was 
elected  president  of  the  association.  T.  D.  Boyd,  of  Louisiana,  was  nomi- 
nated and  elected  first  vice-president ;  M.  A.  Scovell,  of  Kentucky,  second  vice- 
president  ;  B.  C.  Buffuin,  of  AYyoming,  third  vice-president ;  R.  W.  Stimson.  of 
Connecticut,  fourth  vice-president;  and  C.  G.  Hopkins,  of  Illinois,  fifth  vice- 
president;  J.  L.  Hills,  of  Vermont,  secretary-treasurer;  and  A.  C.  True,  of 
the  Office  of   Experiment   Stations,   bibliographer. 

The  association  then  adjourned  until  Friday  morning,  November  16,  1906. 


62 
Morning  Session,  Friday,  November  16.  1906. 

The  convention  was  called  to  order  at  9.30  a.  in..  President  M.  II.  Buckhaiu 
presiding. 

Increased  Appropriations  fob  Land-Grant  Colleges. 

11.  J.   Wheeler,  of  Rhode  Island,   presented  the  following  resolution: 

Whereas  since  the  passage  of  the  Morrill  Act  of  1890  no  further  Federal 
grants  have  been  made  for  agricultural  and  mechanical  education,  notwith- 
standing the  crying  needs  for  such  additional  support  :    Therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  executive  committee  of  this  association  he  authorized  to 
cause  to  he  introduced  in  Congress  a  measure  drawn  on  the  same  general  lines 
as  the  .Morrill  Act  of  1890,  providing  for  an  increased  appropriation  for  each  of 
the  land-grant  colleges. 

On  motion  seconded,  the  resolution  was  adopted  without  objection. 
Scientific  Investigation  under  Government  Auspices. 

The  resolution  of  II.  P.  Armsby,  given  on  page  61,  was  then  taken  up  for 
consideration. 

II.  P.  Armsby,  of  Pennsylvania.  I  think  the  purpose  of  the  resolution  is 
thoroughly  obvious.  What  is  contemplated  by  it  is  simply  to  inquire  into  the 
existing  conditions  with  a  view  of  seeing  whether  any  better  or  more  systematic 
organization,  any  better  definition  of  the  functions  of  the  various  agencies  for 
research  in  the  interests  of  agriculture  can  be  reached.  There  is  a  great  deal 
of  research  work  carried  on  outside  of  the  experiment  stations  and  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  which  relates  to  agricultural  progress,  and  which  has 
never  been  brought,  so  far  as  I  know,  into  any  definite  relations  with  this  asso- 
ciation. The  resolution  provides,  therefore,  for  the  appointment  on  this  com- 
mission of  two  broad  scientific  men  outside  of  the  members  of  this  association. 
with  a  view  of  bringing  our  agricultural  forces  into  closer  relation  with  the 
work  of  this  association.  The  resolution  provides  that  the  commission  shall 
be  appointed  by  the  incoming  president  in  order  that  those  who  may  make  up 
the  commission  may  be  appointed  after  serious  consideration.  Such  a  commis- 
sion should  be  appointed  only  after  a  great  deal  of  consideration  and  ought  not 
to  be  loaded  upon  the  retiring  president  after  the  close  of  a  convention  like 
this.  I  certainly  hope  that  the  convention  will  take  this  proposition  under 
serious  consideration,  and  should  it  see  tit  to  authorize  the  appointment  of  such 
a  commission  I  will  feel  that  a  step  has  been  taken  in  the  right  direction,  even 
though  it  may  take  two  or  three  years  for  the  consideration  of  the  problems 
which  will  confront  the  commission'. 

C.  F.  CURTISS,  of  Iowa.  My  understanding  of  this  resolution  as  it  has  been 
stated  by  Director  Armsby  is  that  it  involves  a  very  important  Step,  and  I 
think  it  ought  to  have  very  careful  consideration  before  the  association  com- 
mits itself  to  this  policy.  I  question  whether  we  know  enough  about  the  plan 
or  not.  So  far  as  the  object  and  purposes  of  the  commission,  as  stated  in  the 
resolution,  are  concerned,  relating  to  the  experiment  stations  represented  in  this 
association,  it  occurs  to  me  that  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  already  per- 
forms that  function.  I  do  not  know  just  why  another  agency  should  be  created 
to  perform  the  same  functions  that  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  is  now 
performing.  Perhaps,  however,  this  commission  should  have  a  wider  scope  than 
that.  There  are  a  good  many  questions  involved  in  this,  and  I  doubt  if  the 
members  of  the  association  have  given  it  yet  the  careful  consideration  that 
should  be  given  a  question  of  Ibis  kind.  The  proposition  is  rather  indefinite. 
I  should  like  to  see  it  more  clearly  defined.     It  has  been  suggested  that  a  com- 


63 

mission  of  this  kind  would  probably  have  to  serve  two  or  three  years.  A 
part  of  the  membership  of  this  commission  is  to  come  from  outside  of  this 
association  and  outside  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture.  It  is  probable  that 
a  commission  of  this  kind  that  would  give  serious  consideration  to  these  ques- 
tions might  involve  the  association  in  considerable  expense,  and  I  believe  all 
these  matters  ought  to  be  considered  before  we  enter  into  this  plan.  I  believe 
that  we  should  defer  this  matter  for  at  least  one  year  in  order  that  we  may 
give  the  matter  more  mature  consideration. 

W.  H.  Jordan,  of  New  York.  This  resolution  is  certainly  one  of  the  most 
important  that  has  ever  been  offered  before  this  association,  and  I  fully  agree 
with  the  last  gentleman  speaking  that  it  should  receive  mature  deliberation.  I 
am  convinced,  however,  that  this  body  of  men  is  sufficiently  conversant  with 
the  situation  that  has  faced  us  for  so  many  years  to  apply  mature  judgment 
to  this  matter  at  this  time.  I  trust,  therefore,  that  the  resolution  to  lay  this 
subject  on  the  table  for  one  year  will  not  prevail. 

Careful  and  well-informed  observers  are  united.  I  believe,  in  the  conviction 
that  we  have  reached  a  turning  point  in  the  development  of  agricultural 
science  in  this  country.  Up  to  this  time  the  work  of  the  colleges  and  stations 
and  the  efforts  of  our  National  Department  of  Agriculture  have  been  largely 
devoted  to  the  exploitation  of  existing  knowledge  and  to  dealing  with  mere 
economic  relations.  Some  real  research  work  has  been  undertaken  and  im- 
portant results  have  been  reached,  but  our  main  effort  has  been  that  of  adjust- 
ment of  scientific  truth  to  agricultural  practice.  But  the  time  has  come  when 
we  begin  to  feel,  as  never  before,  the  great  need  of  enlarging  the  boundaries  of 
knowledge,  and  now  we  face  several  important  questions,  some  of  which  have 
lain  in  our  minds  for  a  long  time. 

It  can  not  be  said  that  public  funds  are  now  being  applied  to  agricultural 
research  in  accordance  with  any  broad,  well-defined  policy.  Since  186S  we 
have  been  feeling  our  way — development  has  been  more  or  less  a  pushing  out 
into  untried  fields  under  conditions  that  were  new.  Now  we  have  a  basis  of 
experience. 

Several  questions  confront  us.  We  are  not  quite  sure.  I  think — indeed  we 
have  some  doubt  whether  it  is  so — that  agricultural  research  is  maintained  in 
this  country  in  an  environment  that  is  favorable  to  permanent  results  of  a 
high  character.  Are  our  relations  to  Government  control  what  they  should  be? 
Have  we  full  scientific  liberty?  Is  it  desirable  to  combine  within  the  activities 
of  the  same  individual  the  work  of  research  and  of  exploitation?  Is  there  a 
proper  adjustment  between  the  various  agencies  that  are  active  within  the 
agricultural  field?  Do  the  results  of  so-called  agricultural  research  command 
the  respect  of  scientific  workers  in  other  fields,  and  if  not.  why  not?  Have  we 
a  desirable  unity  in  the  movements  of  science  in  this  country?  Some  of  these 
questions  should  be  answered,  and  in  an  intelligent  way. 

I  can  see  no  harm  in  such  a  commission  as  is  proposed  ;  indeed.  I  anticipate 
great  good  from  its  deliberations.  This  association  should  seek  all  the  informa- 
tion it  can  get.  Certainly  the  rights  and  status  of  individual  institutions  are 
not  in  any  way  menaced  by  the  proposed  inquiry. 

Of  course,  such  a  commision  has  no  authority  beyond  that  which  comes  from 
the  character  and  standing  of  the  men  who  compose  it.  and  any  report  which 
it  may  make  will  not  have  a  binding  quality  but  will  simply  be  advisory  in 
its  character. 

K.  L.  Butterfield.  of  Massachusetts.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  suggestion 
made  by  Director  Armsby  and  that  made  by  Director  Jordan  are  entirely  satis- 
factory, and  that  the  aim  of  the  resolution  is  worthy  of  the  support  of  this 


6140— No.  184—07  M 


64 

body.  I  can  not  help  asking  the  question,  however,  why  the  aims  can  not  be 
met  by  our  own  committee  on  experiment  station  work,  instructing  them  to 
engage  in  conferences  with  such  outside  men  as  are  designated  in  this  reso- 
lution'.' It  seems  to  me  that  it  is  within  the  province  of  our  committee  on 
experiment  station  work  to  take  up  just  such  questions  as  this,  and  if  it  is  desir- 
able to  confer  with  the  agencies  that  are  doing  scientific  work,  they  should  have 
the  authority  to  do  so.     I  think  it  may  be  made  a  part  of  their  work. 

W.  II.  Jordan.  I  would  say  that  such  a  scope  of  inquiry  is  quite  outside  of  the 
duties  of  a  committee  of  merely  a  section  of  this  association. 

E.  Davenport,  of  Illinois.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  matter  stands  like  this: 
From  the  very  nature  of  the  case  no  report  that  could  be  made  by  any  com- 
mittee of  this  association,  no  matter  how  it  might  be  handled,  would  have  the 
standing  in  the  world  of  science  that  a  report  from  an  independent  commission 
would  have.  This  committee  of  ours  no  doubt  could  do  things  that  might  be 
satisfactory  to  the  experiment  station  people.  We  may  be  able  to  obtain  a 
satisfactory  report  from  this  committee  -to  us,  but  how  would  the  report  be 
received  by  the  scientific  world  at  large?  It  seems  to  me  that  we  have  reached 
a  point  where  we  are  asking  what  agricultural  science  is  going  to  be.  We  were 
utterly  ignored  for  a  long  time,  then  we  were  tolerated,  and  we  are  coming  now 
to  enjoy  some  of  the  symptoms  of  respectability  in  the  educational  world,  and. 
to  some  extent,  in  the  scientific  world.  Now.  it  seems  that  within  the  last  five 
years  almost  anything  relating  to  agricultural  research  has  been  a  thing  to 
conjure  with.  But  we  are  standing  on  dangerous  ground.  There  will  be  a  day 
of  reckoning  with  us  if  we  are  not  careful.  Such  a  resolution  as  this  would 
have  been  absurd  ten  years  ago,  but  it  will  be  too  late  if  we  wait  ten  years 
longer.  I  feel  extremely  anxious  to  have  this  matter  settled  in  the  best  way, 
but  before  we  put  up  much  more  for  agricultural  research  is  it  not  well  to  ask 
ourselves  whether  the  work  is  being  done  in  the  best  way?  A  tremendous 
amount  of  work  has  been  done  in  this  country ;  but  we  have  been  doing  primary 
work,  and  it  must  progress  very  much  further  along  scientific  lines  if  we  expect 
to  hold  the  position  that  belongs  to  us. 

L.  H.  Bailey,  of  New  York.  In  my  own  work  I  find  myself  inclined  more 
and  more  to  refer  large  questions  of  policy  to  persons  who  are  outside  our 
work  entirely  if  they  have  been  scientifically  trained  and  have  had  to  do  with 
public  policy  questions.  Not  long  ago  a  question  of  policy  for  the  College  of 
Agriculture  was  laid  before  the  deans  of  the  different  colleges.  It  was  a 
help  and  relief,  of  course,  to  secure  the  points  of  view  of  competent  men  with 
a  different  orientation  to  the  subject.  It  seems  to  me  that  we  are  in  the 
process  of  gradually  eliminating  departmental  science.  Agricultural  research 
is  going  to  take  its  place  with  other  research  and  to  be  regarded  as  a  part 
of  the  body  of  science.  I  am  afraid  that  we  are  in  danger  of  becoming 
somewhat  prejudiced  in  our  own  point  of  view,  and  perhaps  somewhat  super- 
ficial. I  am  wondering  whether  the  time  has  not  come  when  we  ought  to 
coordinate  our  agricultural  work  with  the  whole  body  of  human  science  and 
knowledge.  Outside  the  agricultural  colleges  there  is  much  work  of  a  research 
character  that  has  distinct  agricultural  bearings,  although  not  labeled  as  such. 
Some  of  the  institutions  that  have  no  agricultural  departments  are,  never- 
theless, doing  work  that  we,  as  agricultural  investigators,  should  be  thor- 
oughly conversant  with.  In  the  subject  before  us  we  have  a  question  of 
large  public  policy.  If  it  seems  to  be  wise  for  any  one  person  or  one  institution 
to  ask  for  expert  nonpartisan  advice  from  those  outside,  I  do  not  see  why 
it  is  not  equally  wise  for  this  association  to  ask  for  such  advice.  There  are 
three  questions  to  be  considered  :  First,  the  selection  of  the  commission :  second, 
the  funds  to  maintain  it ;  third,  the  work  that  it  is  designed  to  do.     So  far  as  the 


65 

last  proposition  is  concerned,  taking  them  in  their  inverse  order.  1  should  be 
inclined  to  leave  the  whole  matter  in  abeyance.  All  we  are  called  on  to  do 
is  to  appoint  the  commission,  and  not  to  instruct  it.  If  the  commission  is  formed 
it  will  soon  begin  to  work,  and  its  plans  will  formulate  as  the  work  goes  on. 
Possibly  a  year  from  now  the  commission  may  have  specific  recommendations 
to  make  to  this  association.  If  such  recommendations  call  for  appropriations, 
the  matter  can  be  taken  up  then.  The  constitution  of  such  a  commission  is  a 
most  important  question.  I  should  suppose  that  possibly  the  most  important 
and  useful  members  of  it  would  be  those  who  do  not  represent  this  association 
as  delegates,  provided  they  are  men  who  have  high  ideals  in  scientific  work 
and  have  had  experience  therein  and  who  have  come  in  touch  with  questions 
of  public  policy.  It  has  been  suggested  on  the  floor  that  this  commission 
would  have  no  power.  It  seems  to  me  that  it  will  have  the  greatest  power 
that  any  commission  could  have,  which  is  the  power  coming  from  the  weight 
of  high  authority.  We  are  not  considering  at  all  an  investigation,  using  that 
term  in  its  ordinary  sense.  We  merely  seek  for  advice  and  opinions.  This 
organization  has  the  right  always  to  ask  for  advice  and  to  ask  for  the 
opinion  of  any  person  on  any  subject  that  comes  within  its  purview  ;  and  if  this 
.-•ssociation  desires  that  three  or  five  persons  shall  be  asked  specially  to  give 
advice,  it  certainly  has  the  right  to  do  so.  When  the  report  of  this  commission 
is  made,  we  can  determine  what  we  shall  do  with  it.  I  presume  that  we 
should  merely  print  it.  If  it  is  a  wise  report,  as  we  have  every  reason  to  expect 
it  will  be,  it  may  be  sufficient  to  have  it  as  a  part  of  our  minutes  for  our 
guidance  and  discussion.  Sooner  or  later  the  question  will  be  asked  of  us 
what  we  are  accomplishing.  Perhaps  this  commission  can  give  us  a  judgment 
as  to  how  much  real  progress  we  are  making.  I  should  not  be  suprised  if 
such  a  report  would  be  a  sort  of  a  milestone  to  measure  our  progress,  whether 
that  progress  be  much  or  little.  Now  that  this  question  is  up.  it  seems  to  me 
that  we  can  not  afford  to  miss  the  opportunity  of  securing  the  advice  of  such 
a  commission  for  our  own  help  and  guidance.  Sooner  or  later  we  must  face 
the  responsibility   of   review   by  expert   public   opinion. 

As  to  the  funds.  I  fancy  that  none  will  lie  needed.  The  commission  will  need 
to  meet  a  few  times,  but  possibly  the  expense  of  it  can  be  arranged  by  the 
members  of  the  commission.  Each  member  will  acquire  the  facts  as  he  wants 
them,  and  the  commission  will  deliberate  until  it  is  fully  ready  to  make  its 
report. 

W.  H.  Jordan.  I  think  if  the  members  of  this  association  will  look  up  what 
has  been  done  in  educational  lines  they  will  find  that  the  beginning  of  many 
great  advances  has  been  made  by  the  appointment  of  special  commissions  and 
studying  the  reports  from  them.  It  seems  to  me.  from  my  observation,  that 
nothing  can  be  better  from  a  standpoint  of  the  agricultural  interests  of  the 
country  than  to  have  a  commission  of  this  sort  appointed.  I  should  be  very 
much  opposed,  however,  to  the  establishment  of  such  a  commission  without  pro- 
vision for  adequate  funds. 

L.  G.  Carpenter,  of  Colorado.  There  is  a  question  upon  which  the  associa- 
tion is  entitled  to  further  information  than  it  has  yet  had.  and  that  is.  where 
is  the  money  to  come  from  and  how  is  it  to  be  raised  to  meet  the  expenses  of 
this  commission.  This  commission,  if  it  does  anything,  will  require  money. 
Now.  we  need  to  know  where  we  can  get  the  money  to  carry  out  the  object  of 
this  commission. 

L.  H.  Bailey.  I  venture  the  prophecy  that  that  commission  can  be  so  con- 
stituted, its  work  so  undertaken,  as  to  entail  practically  no  expense.  I  think 
there  are  enough  public-spirited  men  in  the  country  who  are  interested  in  re- 


66 

search  and  investigation  work  who  will  be  glad  of  the  opportunity  to  serve  this 
organization  and  to  servo  the  progress  of  science  by  giving  their  time  to  it. 

L.  G.  Carpenter.  It  seems  to  me  the  scope  of  the  commission  ought  to  be 
well  defined.  Different  advocates  understand  the  resolution  differently.  One 
considers  it  to  be  a  commission  to  investigate  and  report  on  experiment  station 
work  in  general.  Another,  as  a  commission  to  advise  the  stations  how  to  attack 
their  special  problems.  Our  station  specialists  are  studying  their  own  problems 
earnestly,  and  often  with  long  experience,  and  I  do  not  believe  any  body  of  two 
or  five  men  could  be  of  much  benefit  in  advising  the  individual  investigator,  or 
at  least  not  in  many  lines.  The  best  effect  from  such  commission  might  be  to 
crystallize  our  own  ideas.  If  the  idea  is  for  the  commission  to  give  a  certifi- 
cate of  character,  this  will  be  of  no  weight  unless  the  commission  also  is  ex- 
pected to  criticise  the  whole  field  of  experiment  station  work.  The  station 
forces  have  for  years  been  attempting  to  work  out  these  problems,  with  special 
knowledge  of  the  local  field.  I  can  not  believe  that  much  help  could  be  obtained 
from  such  commission,  although,  in  the  broader  question,  it  may  be  of  a  great 
deal  of  use.  Under  some  interpretations  of  the  scope  of  their  organization, 
such  a  commission  might  be  of  great  service,  but  under  other  possible  interpreta- 
tion it  might  do  much  harm. 

Tiider  present  understanding  of  the  resolution,  I  feel  like  asking  for  the  post- 
ponement of  the  question  for  further  consideration. 

W.  II.  Jordan.  It  seems  to  me  that  we  should  not  confuse  these  questions 
or  interpose  elements  into  the  resolution  which  are  not  really  to  be  found  there. 
There  is  no  hint  in  that  resolution  that  there  is  to  be  an  inquiry  into  the 
method  of  individual  institution,  or  individuals,  nor  that  it  is  to  be  a  certificate 
of  good  character.  It  may  he  found  to  be  a  certificate  of  good  character,  or 
it  may  be  in  the  broadest  sense  a  recommendation  of  character,  but  there  is 
no  hint  of  that  in  the  resolution.  It  is  simply  to  enchain  and  to  crystallize 
what  is  being  done  in  the  country.  We  are  in  a  stage  of  development,  and  I 
am  sure  we  are  all  of  us  impressed  with  the  importance  of  the  great  problems 
which  are  before  the  country,  and  we  realize  the  necessity  of  agreeing  upon 
the  best  lines  of  policy,  and  that  is  the  real  reason  for  this  resolution,  in  order 
that  we  may  sympathetically  work  together.  We  are  not  bound  by  any  report 
of  the  commission.  We  simply  seek  information,  and  information  that  will 
bind  together  the  forces  of  the  country. 

J.  K.  Patterson,  of  Kentucky.  A  few  moments  ago  one  of  the  speakers  said 
something  which  surprised  me  a  great  deal.  He  suggested  that  within  a  few 
years  we  might  be  put  upon  our  mettle  to  hold  what  we  have.  Now.  I  should 
like  to  know  what  he  considers  the  element  of  weakness  in  the  structure  which 
we  have  been  laboriously  building  for  twenty  years.  If  there  be  serious 
grounds  for  discontent,  I  should  like  to  know  from  what  they  come  and  what 
they  are,  so  that  we  may  be  prepared  to  meet  them.  I  think  that  this  asso- 
ciation, representative  as  it  is  of  the  experiment  stations  of  the  country  and 
of  the  colleges  created  by  the  land  grants,  is  doing  a  splendid  and  a  noble 
work.  Now,  in  a  course  of  twenty-five,  thirty,  or  forty  years  mistakes  have 
been  made,  but  in  the  course  of  time  we  endeavor  to  remedy  those  mistakes; 
we  endeavor  to  eliminate  anything  that  is  injurious,  and  I  think  this  associa- 
tion has  worked  toward  the  better  unity  of  its  purpose.  If  there  be  a  weak 
point  in  it  anywhere,  we  should  know  where  it  is  so  that  we  may  be  able  to 
meet  it.  If  we  are  confining  too  exclusively  to  our  own  work,  that  is  a  matter 
for  legitimate  Inquiry.  But  I  would  like  to  know  some  of  the  elements  of  dis- 
content that  confront  us  before  I  would  be  willing  to  vote  on  this  proposition. 


67 

If  we  be  in  danger,  then  I  am  willing  to  .seek  eligible  means  of  escape  wherever 
they  can  be  found.  If  we  be  no  longer  able  to  work  along  the  lines  of  splendid 
utility  which  have  characterized  our  achievements  in  the  past,  then  I  am 
willing  to  follow  any  eligible  lines  wherever  they  are  practical. 

E.  Davenport.  I  dislike  to  take  any  more  time  in  the  discussion  of  this  propo- 
sition, but  I  can  answer  this  question  at  least  to  my  own  satisfaction  very 
clearly.  Any  man  who  has  seen  passed  over  his  desk  for  the  last  ten  years 
letters  of  inquiry  from  the  farmers  must  have  noted  a  decided  change  in  their 
tenor.  Any  man  who  meets  these  questions  fairly  and  fully  must  have  been 
impressed  with  the  fact  that  there  are  plenty  of  farmers  with  college  education 
and  college  experience  who  are  writing  for  information  along  the  latest  lines  of 
scientific  investigation.  What  I  need  in  the  matter  of  answering  these  ques- 
tions now  is  more  knowledge  in  certain  lines  of  chemistry  and  certain  lines  of 
physics.  Now,  we  must  do  one  of  two  things.  We  must  either  secure  outside 
assistance  in  order  to  keep  up  with  the  demand  for  information  in  certain 
lines  of  agricultural  science,  or  we  must  do  the  work  of  broader  investigation 
ourselves.  In  the  meantime  our  farmers  are  putting  questions  to  us  that  we 
can  not  answer.  We  have  reached  a  position  where  it  is  necessary  for  us  to 
undertake  to  discover  that  knowledge  which  is  necessary  to  answer  these  ques- 
tions. General  science  has  never  addressed  itself  to  our  problems.  There  are 
plenty  of  men  engaged  in  scientific  research  that  will  turn  their  attention  our 
way  if  we  only  encourage  them  to  do  so.  You  know  that  in  the  last  five  years 
there  have  been  plenty  of  scientific  men  who  have  turned  their  attention  to  agri- 
culture. We  have  gotten  up  to  where  we  are  against  a  stone  wall  in  many 
lines.  I  think  there  is  a  feeling  of  the  most  stupendous  confidence  in  what  the 
experiment  stations  can  do,  but  if  we  are  to  meet  these  expectations  a  very 
large  amount  of  highly  scientific  work  must  be  done  and  along  substantially 
new  lines. 

B.  I.  Wheeler,  of  California.  I  am  very  much  impressed  by  the  expression 
of  the  views  on  this  subject  entertained  by  your  next  president.  I  have  never 
heard  anything  of  this  resolution  until  I  heard  it  this  morning,  but  I  should 
think  you  would  be  anxious  to  have  such  a  commission  appointed.  I  can  not 
see  that  any  danger  to  agricultural  science  lies  hidden  in  this  resolution.  I 
know  the  people  out  where  I  live  are  interested  in  everything  that  you  can  do 
to  advance  agriculture  by  means  of  the  experiment  station.  The  only  thing  that 
can  do  any  harm  is  the  closing  of  the  doors.  If  it  means  the  opening  of  the 
doors  I  can  see  no  danger  in  it.  We  feel  in  California  that  agricultural  develop- 
ment has  been  groping  through  many  years  of  darkness  and  we  welcome  any 
movement  which  tends  to  open  the  doors  to  more  light.  There  are  forces  at 
work  that  are  vieing  with  each  other.  We  do  not  understand  in  California  why 
the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  should  not  broaden  out  the  work, 
why  they  should  not  mix  in  the  work.  We  would  like  to  mix  with  them  and 
know  what  they  are  doing.  We  like  to  have  transactions  with  them.  We  should 
like  to  have  a  common  field  with  them  and  divide  the  work.  We  are  feeling 
somewhat  in  California  that  things  have  been  done  in  a  haphazard  way. 
There  is  an  enormous  amount  of  work  to  be  done  and  we  have  not  enough 
people  to  do  it.  If  this  is  a  movement  in  that  direction  I  wish  to  say,  and  I 
speak  for  California,  that  it  is  one  which  I  shall  heartily  support. 

H.  P.  Armsby.  At  the  close  of  this  debate  there  are  one  or  two  things  I 
want  to  emphasize.  I  think  there  has  been  a  little  tendency  to  avoid  the 
resolution  and  to  get  lost  in  detail.  This  resolution  was  intended  to  be  a 
very  broad  matter.  Its  purpose  looks  to  a  consideration  of  this  subject  from  the 
very  broadest  point  of  view  of  public  policy.     It  is  not  a  question  of  individual 


68 

workers  or  individual  stations.  This  resolution  does  not  look  backward,  but  for- 
ward. It  is  not  a  measure  of  protection,  as  I  see  it.  It  is  not  a  question  of 
whether  we  shall  avoid  some  danger;  it  is  a  question  of  whether  we  shall  under- 
take to  assist  and  aid  in  the  efforts  for  progress  in  agricultural  science.  The 
resolution  should  he  considered  from  that  point  of  view — the  point  of  view  of 
public  policy,  and  of  endeavor  to  make  greater  progress  in  the  future  than  we 
have  done  in  the  past 

The  motion  to  defer  action  on  the  resolution  for  a  year  was  lost. 

A  motion  to  adopt  the  resolution  was  carried. 

On  motion  of  II.  J.  Waters,  of  Missouri,  the  executive  committee  was  in- 
structed to  assign  a  prominent  place  on  the  programme  to  the  report  of  the  com- 
mission whenever  it  is  ready  to  make  a  report. 

Officers  of  Sections  and  Members  of  Executive  Committee. 

II.  C.  Price,  of  Ohio,  reported  the  following  officers  elected  by  the  college  sec- 
tion:  Chairman  of  section,  E.  A.  Bryan,  of  Washington;  secretary  of  section, 
II.  C.  Price,  of  Ohio;  members  of  executive  committee,  H.  C.  White,  of  Georgia; 
.7.  L.  Snyder,  of  Michigan ;  and  W.  E.  Stone,  of  Indiana ;  committee  on  pro- 
gramme, the  chairman  and  secretary  of  the  section. 

R.  C.  Buffum,  of  Wyoming,  reported  the  following  officers  elected  by  the  sec- 
tion on  experiment  station  work  :  Chairman,  M.  A.  Scovell,  of  Kentucky,  sec- 
retary, C.  E.  Thorne,  of  Ohio ;  members  of  the  executive  committee,  W.  II.  Jor- 
dan, of  New  York ;  and  C.  F.  Curtiss,  of  Iowa  ;  committee  on  programme,  II.  J. 
Waters,  of  Missouri ;  H.  T.  French,  of  Idaho ;  and  C.  E.  Thorne,  of  Ohio. 

The  officers  named  were  confirmed  by  the  general  session. 

Members  of  Standing  Committees. 

The  president  announced  the  following  three-year  members  of  the  standing 
committees  to  fill  the  annual  vacancies : 

Committee  on  instruction  in  agriculture:  J.  F.  Duggar,  of  Alabama,  and 
W.  E.  Stone,  of  Indiana. 

Committee  on  graduate  study  :  W.  O.  Thompson,  of  Ohio,  and  Brown  Ayres,  of 
Tennessee. 

Committee  on  extension  work:  A.  M.  Soule,  of  Virginia,  and  W.  M.  Hays,  of 
Washington,  D.  C. 

Committee  on  experiment  station  organization  and  policy:  M.  A.  Scovell,  of 
Kentucky,  and  C.  E.  Thorne,  of  Ohio. 

Annual  Dues. 

On  motion  of  J.  L.  Hills,  the  annual  dues  for  1907  were  made  $15. 
K.   L.  Butterfield,  of  Massachusetts,  presented  the  following  report  : 

Report  of  Committee  on  Extension  Work." 

Your  committee  decided  that  its  first  task  was  to  make  an  investigation  into 
the  present  status  of  agricultural  extension  teaching  in  the  United  States. 
The  hearty  cooperation  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  of  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture  was  easily  secured,  and  Prof.  John  Hamilton, 
Farmers'  Institute  Specialist  in  that  Office,  was  designated  to  assist  the  corn- 
mil  tee.  The  committee  thereupon  chose  him  as  its  secretary,  and  he  has  carried 
on  the  details  of  the  inquiry.  We  desire  to  express  our  cordial  appreciation 
of  the  assistance  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations,  and  particularly  to 
indicate  our  great  obligation  to  Professor  Hamilton,  whose  thorough  sympathy 
witli   extension    leaching   in    agriculture,    his   long   experience    in   work   of   this 

"  See  also  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  Circ.  72. 


69 

character,  and  bis  enthusiasm  for  progress  have  enabled  him  not  only  to  place 
before  your  committee  important  data,  but  to  embody  many  suggestions  for 
the  development  of  the  work.  Your  committee  has  not  hesitated  freely  to 
utilize  his  comments  and  suggestions. 

A  schedule  indicating  the  forms  of  extension  work  to  be  embraced  by  the 
investigation,  together  with  a  list  of  queries,  was  prepared  and  sent  out  by 
the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations,  accompanied  by  a  circular  letter  signed  by 
the  Director  of  the  Office,  to  about  5.000  persons  representing  the  various 
organizations  froin  which  information  was  desired. 

There  was  also  formulated  the  following  tentative  definition  of  extension 
teaching  in  agriculture  as  a  basis  for  the  investigation : 

"  Extension  teaching  in  agriculture  embraces  those  forms  of  instruction,  in 
subjects  having  to  do  with  improved  methods  of  agricultural  production  and 
with  the  general  welfare  of  the  rural  population,  that  are  offered  to  people  not 
enrolled  as  resident  pupils  in  educational  institutions." 

The  committee  also  attempted  to  group  in  some  logical  fashion  the  various 
forms  of  extension  work  which  were  supposed  to  be  in  vogue.  Six  groups  were 
made,  as  follows : 

Group  A,  Farmers'  institutes. — The  farmers'  institutes  are  a  phase  of  the 
itinerant  lecture  system  classified  under  Group  B.  but  they  form  so  large  and 
distinctive  a  movement  that  it  seemed  wise  to  put  them  in  a  class  by  them- 
selves. Historically  they  are  the  earliest  form  of  organized  extension  teaching. 
They  have  been  for  thirty-five  years  the  means  of  disseminating  real  agricul- 
tural teaching.  They  are  supported  by  large  grants  of  money,  are  now  pretty 
thoroughly  organized,  and  the  institute  workers  have  an  association  of  their 
own.     For  these  reasons  they  demand  a  separate  classification. 

Group  B.  Itinerant  lectures  other  than  farmers'  institutes. — Here  are  listed 
the  lectures  and  addresses  given  by  members  of  the  agricultural  college  and 
station  staff  and  by  employees  of  other  institutions,  including  miscellaneous 
lectures,  regular  courses  of  extension  lectures,  traveling  schools  of  various 
types,  special  railroad  trains  designed  for  educational  purposes,  and  addresses 
before  teachers'  institutes  on  distinctively  agricultural  themes.  Various  minor 
endeavors  must,  of  course,  also  be  grouped  here. 

Group  C,  Literature. — Comprising  those  forms  of  extension  teaching  developed 
by  means  of  written  and  printed  material.  This  literature  consists  of  the  great 
mass  of  regular  correspondence  about  agricultural  subjects  carried  on  through 
the  experiment  stations,  colleges,  boards  of  agriculture,  etc. ;  also  the  various 
publications  of  these  institutions,  including  station  bulletins,  regular  reports, 
miscellaneous  pamphlets,  and  the  like;  correspondence  courses;  reading  courses; 
traveling  libraries;  and  the  publication,  particularly  by  educational  institu- 
tions, of  periodicals  dealing  with  agricultural  subjects. 

Group  D  comprises  all  those  efforts  in  which  the  particular  emphasis  is  laid 
on  object  lessons,  or  outdoor  practicums.  These  include  such  activities  as  field 
demonstrations  of  various  operations,  such  as  spraying;  cooperative  demon- 
strations in  which,  because  of  the  nature  of  the  work,  it  is  necessary  to  have 
the  assistance  of  the  individual  farmer ;  and  cooperative  tests,  as  of  varieties 
adapted  to  different  localities.  These  tests,  by  the  way,  are  close  to  the  border 
line  between  the  work  of  the  experiment  station  and  of  the  extension  depart- 
ment, but  are  classified  here  because  in  many  cases  they  are  essentially  for  the 
purpose  of  education  and  not  for  the  gaining  of  new  knowledge.  Educational 
exhibits  at  agricultural  fairs,  made  by  colleges,  experiment  stations,  etc.,  and 
attempts  to  secure  visits  of  inspection  to  the  colleges  and  stations  by  farmers 
and  others  interested,  where  these  visits  are  essentially  for  the  purpose  of  edu- 
cation, also  come  in  this  group. 

The  above  four  groups.  A,  B,  C,  and  D,  are  intended  to  include  all  of  those 
forms  of  extension  teaching  in  agriculture  which  belong  to  universities,  colleges, 
and  other  departments,  agencies,  or  institutions  whose  work  is  distinctively  and 
primarily  educational. 

Group  E,  on  the  other  hand,  was  meant  to  include  those  aspects  of  the  work 
of  the  multitudinous  rural  societies,  as  carried  out  in  their  meetings  and  propa- 
ganda, which  aim  to  instruct.  These  may  comprise  the  efforts  of  agricultural 
fairs  to  introduce  educational  features ;  programmes  of  the  various  horticul- 
tural, live-stock,  and  other  agricultural  societies ;  lecturer's  hour  in  the  grange ; 
village  improvement  societies  :  civic  associations  with  rural  betterment  sections ; 
rural  study  clubs ;  boys'  and  girls'  agricultural  clubs  or  institutes,  such  as  the 
Junior  Naturalists  in  New  York,  the  Nature  Guard  in  Rhode  Island,  etc. ;  and 
agricultural  students'  unions  of  various  types.     Rural  societies,  in  carrying  out 


70 

many  of  these  lines  of  endeavor,  are  quite  dependent  upon  the  colleges  and  sta- 
tions for  their  material,  and  oftentimes  for  the  initiative.  Nevertheless,  the 
classification  is  logical,  because  eventually  the  work  must  he  fostered  and 
developed  through  the  capacity  and  persistence  of  the  voluntary  organizations 
themselves. 

Group  F. — It  was  meant  here  to  outline  a  field  which  is  somewhat  indefinite 
in  character,  but  one  in  which  the  colleges  have  a  part,  together  with  other 
agencies.  It  comprises  that  form  of  endeavor  which  attempts  to  secure  coopera- 
tion among  various  rural  organizations  and  institutions,  such  as  efforts  to 
secure  joint  sessions  between  other  associations,  the  organization  of  associations 
of  teachers  and  school  patrons,  the  formation  of  leagues  or  federations  of 
rural  societies  for  rural  progress,  the  installation  of  a  town  room  as  a  sort  of 
social  center  for  the  town,  etc. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  no  provision  has  been  made  for  special  or  short- 
course  teaching  as  at  present  carried  on  at  the  agricultural  colleges.  What- 
ever may  be  the  advantages  from  the  administrative  point  of  view  of  listing 
this  work  as  extension  teaching,  it  was  agreed  by  the  two  committees  that 
the  discussion  of  short  courses  belongs  to  the  committee  on  instruction  in 
agriculture. 

It  will  be  observed  further  that  this  entire  classification  is  based  primarily 
upon  varieties  of  work  to  be  done,  and  secondaril}r  upon  types  of  institutions 
doing  the  work.  It  is  an  attempt  to  lay  out  a  logical  division  of  the  field  of 
extension  teaching.  Doubtless  it  may  have  to  be  changed  in  details  as  our 
work  proceeds.  We  have  here  outlined  it  at  some  length  because  of  the 
fundamental  necessity  of  presenting  at  the  outset  some  comprehensive  analysis 
of  the  problems  which  we  are  set  to  investigate. 

KESULTS    OF    THE    INVESTIGATION. 

In  presenting  the  results  of  our  inquiry  in  as  concise  form  as  possible  we 
wish  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  this  investigation  is  but  a  preliminary 
survey  and  must  necessarily  be  more  or  less  superficial.  It  has,  however, 
been  wTorth  while,  in  order  to  get  into  touch  with  the  work  actually  being  done 
and  to  secure  the  proper  point  of  view. 

The  following  table  indicates  the  classes  of  institutions  or  agencies  addressed, 
the  number  of  replies  received,  and  the  number  in  each  class  reporting  some 
form  of  extension  work : 

Results  of  inquiry  into  agricultural  extension  teaching. 


Institution  or  agency  inquired  of. 


Agricultural  colleges  and  experiment  stations 

Colleges  other  than  agricultural 

Normal  schools 

Industrial  high  schools 

State  and  county  departments  of  public  instruction 

State  and  county  agricultural  organizations 

Libraries 

Granges,  State  and  national 

Agricultural  press 

Industrial  organizations  not  agricultural 

M iM-ellaneous  replies 


Total 


Number        RepUes 


inquiries. 


104 

380 

256 

120 

1,600 

1,100 

900 

30 

406 

118 


received. 


5, 014 


52 

241 
60 

18 

277 
123 
125 
12 
30 
15 
45 


Number 

reporting 
some  form 

of  exten- 
sion work. 


19 
25 

15 

123 


1,001 


317 


The  column  in  the  table  showing  the  number  of  institutions  reporting  some 
form  of  extension  work  is  perhaps  the  most  significant  result  of  the  investiga- 
tion. According  to  this  report,  there  are  over  300  active  centers  of  extension 
teaching  in  agriculture  already  established.  Doubtless  this  number  would  be 
greatly  increased  if  others  had  replied.  Nearly  all  the  agricultural  colleges  and 
experiment  stations  in  the  land  are  doing  extension  teaching  to  a  greater  or  less 
degree,  and  practically  all  of  the  granges  and  thousands  of  agricultural  societies 
of  various  sorts  do  work  that  could  be  called  extension  teaching  in  agriculture. 
But  even  on  the  basis  of  the  replies  received  it  is  evident  that  extension  teach- 
ing has  secured  a  strong  foothold  in  our  system  of  agricultural  education. 


71 

We  shall  not  take  time  to  specify  all  the  lines  of  extension  work  carried  on 
by  these  various  agencies,  but  a  relisting  of  the  forms  of  extension  work  actually 
carried  on  by  agricultural  colleges  and  experiment  stations,  based  on  the  returns 
sent  in,  will  be  of  interest  as  showing  the  infinite  variety  and  scope  of  the  work 
already  under  way. 

Lecturing  at  farmers'  institutes. 

Holding  normal  institute  schools  for  institute  lecturers. 

Providing  short  course  in  agriculture. 

Equipping  and  accompanying  railway  specials. 

Assisting  at  teachers'  institutes. 

Courses  in  corn  and  stock  judging  given  in  district  centers. 

Lectures  in  district  normal  schools. 

Visiting  and  lecturing  in  rural  schools. 

Holding  summer  schools  for  teachers. 

Sending  out  field  specialists  to  give  advice  to  farmers. 

Preparing  courses  of  study  for  agricultural  high  schools. 

Traveling  instructors  to  lecture  before  granges,  farm  clubs,  etc. 

Equipping  and  sending  out  traveling  "  vans." 

Correspondence  ( ord i na ry ) . 

Preparing  and  sending  out  bulletins,  reports,  and  circulars. 

Conducting  reading  courses. 

Conducting  correspondence  courses. 

Preparing  articles  for  the  public  press. 

Sending  out  model  agricultural  traveling  libraries. 

Conducting  and  publishing  agricultural  journals. 

Preparing  extension  lectures  in  agriculture  for  rural  schools. 

Conducting  agricultural  correspondence  courses  for  teachers. 

Organizing  and  conducting  school-garden  work. 

Organizing  and  conducting  field  demonstrations. 

Holding  field  meetings  for  instruction. 

Conducting  cooperative  experiments  in  agriculture. 

Providing  educational  exhibits  at  fairs. 

Organizing  excursions  to  the  college  by  agricultural  associations  and  by  indi- 
vidual farmers.* 

Organizing  excursions  by  associations  of  teachers  to  the  college. 

Conducting  field  experiments  and  tests  in  cooperation  with  the  railroads. 

Conducting  experiments  and  field  demonstrations  in  cooperation  with  the 
National  Department  of  Agriculture. 

Conducting  experiments  and  demonstration  tests  on  county  poor  farms. 

Lecturing  in  grange  halls. 

Lecturing  before  women's  clubs. 

Organizing  farmers'  clubs,  women's  clubs,  and  boys'  and  girls'  clubs. 

Organizing  agricultural  students'  unions. 

Sending  agricultural  students  to  judge  stock,  fruit,  etc..  at  fairs. 

Organizing  for  conducting  nature-study  work  in  the  public  schools. 

Organizing  societies  of  farmers  in  each  county. 

Organizing  agricultural  high  schools. 

Creating  department  of  extension  work  in  the  college. 

Making  study  of  social  and  economic  questions  of  agriculture. 

In  colleges  and  universities  not  distinctively  agricultural  almost  no  work  of 
true  extension  character  is  being  done.  On  the  other  hand,  the  normal  schools 
are  putting  forth  a  surprising  amount  of  effort,  although  only  25  out  of  256 
schools  addressed  reported  extension  teaching.  The  variety  and  scope  of  their 
endeavors  are  suggestive.  Not  only  are  these  schools  giving  courses  in  agricul- 
ture as  a  preparation  for  teachers  to  teach  nature  study,  school-garden  work, 
and  elementary  agriculture,  but  they  are  also  going  out  with  lectures  on  agricul- 
ture before  teachers'  and  farmers'  institutes,  are  bringing  conferences  of  farmers 
to  the  schools,  offering  excursions  by  students  to  farms,  giving  demonstrations 
in  spraying,  etc.,  issuing  monographs  on  agriculture  and  horticulture  and  school 
bulletins  on  gardens,  and  preparing  articles  on  agriculture  for  the  public  press. 
They  are  also  organizing  school  and  home  improvement  clubs,  studying  questions 
of  rural  sociology,  and  in  other  ways  putting  themselves  in  touch  with  the 
farmers,  teachers,  and  pupils  in  the  rural  communities. 

It  is  also  interesting  to  note  the  activities  of  State  and  county  superintendents 
of  public  instruction.  One  hundred  and  twenty-three  of  these  reported  some  form 
of  extension  teaching  ;  and  the  scope  of  their  work,  based  upon  the  different  kinds 
of  activities  which  they  are  fostering,  is  gratifying  as  well  as  surprising.     It 


72 

would  unduly  prolong  this  report  to  give  even  a  list  of  these  activities.  They 
comprise  not  less  than  55  items  of  extension  effort. 

Libraries.  State  and  local,  are  also  entering  the  field.  17  reporting  traveling 
libraries,  lectures,  lecture  bureaus,  etc. 

It  has  not  been  feasible  as  yet  for  your  committee  to  make  a  comprehensive 
study  of  extension  teaching  on  the  basis  of  groups  of  work.  Except  in  the 
case  of  farmers',  institutes,  few  of  the  colleges  and  other  institutions  have 
thoroughly  organized  their  extension  teaching:  hence  the  replies  gave  very 
little  material  for  such  a  study.  The  farmers'  institutes  are  the  most  thor- 
oughly organized  form  of  extension  work,  and  the  Office  of  Experiment  Sta- 
tions already  contains  such  full  information  respecting  them  that  no  inquiry 
blanks  were  forwarded  to  the  managers  of  institutes. 

GENERAL    CONCLUSIONS. 

This  preliminary  survey  of  agricultural  extension  teaching  in  the  United 
States  seems  to  lead  to  the  following  conclusions: 

(1)  The  fact  that  only  6  per  cent  of  all  the  persons  addressed  reported  ex- 
tension work  of  any  character  shows  the  field  that  is  opening  up  in  this  line 
of  educational  effort.  On  the  other  hand,  the  fact  that  317  agencies  of  various 
sorts  are  at  work  is  indicative  of  a  splendid  beginning,  particularly  when  we 
add  to  .this  the  immense  amount  of  farmers'  institute  work  now  being  done. 

(2)  Nearly  all  the  institutions  are  feeling  their  way.  The  scattered  nature 
and  unorganized  character  of  the  work  are  obvious  and  significant.  Only  a 
few  institutions  have  organized  departments  of  extension  teaching.  The  work 
thus  far  has  grown  out  of  the  needs  of  the  farmers  and  the  desire  of  the 
younger  institutions  to  win  the  regard  of  the  farmers  as  well  as  to  instruct 
them.  All  these  efforts  have  been  seriously  limited  by  the  financial  resources 
at  hand  and  the  small  amount  of  time  at  the  disposal  of  employees  of  the 
institutions.  The  inquiry  also  disclosed,  or  rather  emphasized,  the  well-known 
fact  that  the  agricultural  experiment  stations  are  doing  an  enormous  amount 
of  extension  work,  not  only  through  the  printed  bulletins  and  the  mass  of  cor- 
respondence of  station  officials,  but  also  through  demonstrations,  lectures,  and 
many  other  lines  of  effort.  Absolutely  no  criticism  can  be  offered  of  the  spirit 
in  which  this  work  is  done  or  of  the  good  effects  produced,  but  it  may  be  asked. 
Why  should  the  experiment  station  longer  burden  itself  with  extension  teach- 
ing? Why  should  it  not  turn  over  all  of  the  duties  just  enumerated  to  other 
hands,  and  thus  free  itself,  in  time,  in  money,  and  in  energy,  for  concentration 
upon  the  gigantic  problems  of  genuine  research? 

(3)  Our  correspondence  has  brought  out  the  most  encouraging  fact  that  the 
country  people  universally  appreciate  what  has  been  attempted  in  agricultural 
education  in  their  behalf,  and  most  encouraging  of  all  is  the  evidence  that  the 
information  already  given  is  merely  a  stimulus  to  a  demand  for  further  sys- 
tematizing, perfecting,  and  expanding  along  these  lines  of  effort.  Apparently 
also  an  increasing  use  is  being  made  of  agricultural  literature.  Extension 
teaching  is  one  of  the  chief  means  of  encouraging  country  people  to  read  this 
literature.  Even  the  children  in  the  schools  are  now  reading  about  farming 
and  are  taking  an  intense  interest  in  agricultural  study,  both  in  town  and 
country  schools. 

(•A)  It  seems  evident  to  the  committee  that  the  time  has  arrived  for  a  much 
more  complete  organization  of  extension  teaching  in  agriculture.  Only  a  few 
institutions  have  thus  far  attempted  any  such  organization.  But  the  work  is 
so  important,  and  so  much  of  it,  although  in  a  rather  desultory  way,  is  being 
accomplished,  that  the  need  of  concentrating,  systematizing,  coordinating,  and 
developing  the  more  important  aspects  of  extension  teaching,  particularly  in 
our  land-grant  colleges,  becomes  clearly  apparent 

RECOM  MENDATIONS. 

Your  committee  would  recommend — 

(1)  That  each  college  represented  in  this  association  organize  as  soon  as 
practicable  a  department  of  extension  teaching  in  agriculture,  coordinate  with 
other  departments  or  divisions  of  the  agricultural  work,  with  a  competent 
director  in  charge  and,  if  possible,  with  a  corps  of  men  at  his  disposal.  This 
department  should  take  on,  just  so  far  as  possible,  all  phases  of  extension  teach- 
ing now  performed  in  other  ways.  Your  committee  hopes  at  some  future  time 
to  suggest  a  scheme  of  organization  and  effort  which  would  be  applicable  to 


73 

most  institutions.  At  present,  however,  it  merely  advises  this  initial  and  all- 
important  step — that  of  having  an  official  whose  chief  business  it  will  be  to  fos- 
ter, to  systematize,  and  to  organize  for  the  institution  all  the  phases  of  extension 
it  cares  to  assume. 

(2)  If,  in  case  of  any  agricultural  college,  this  step  is  at  present  imprac- 
ticable, we  would  recommend  most  strongly  that  the  college  appoint  a  faculty 
committee  on  extension  teaching  in  agriculture.  This  committee  can  be  of 
great  assistance  to  your  own  committee  in  further  investigating  conditions  and 
methods  of  extension  teaching  in  the  respective  States.  Further  than  that,  each 
one  of  such  committees  should  make  a  careful  study  of  the  problem  in  its  par- 
ticular State,  with  special  reference  to  the  feasibility  of  organizing  definitely  a 
department  of  college  extension. 

i  o  i  We  request  that,  if  sufficient  funds  are  available,  the  Office  of  Experi- 
ment Stations  print  a  report,  at  as  early  a  date  as  convenient,  which  shall 
embody  in  more  detailed  form  the  results  obtained  in  the  present  investigation 
through  the  inquiries  sent  out  by  that  Office.  We  believe  that  the  facts  col- 
lected should  be  issued  in  printed  form  and  that  this  publication  should  be 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  officials  of  all  of  the  institutions  and  agencies  which 
are  now  doing  or  which  ought  to  do  extension  teaching  in  agriculture.  To  that 
end  we  would  advise  a  large  edition  of  this  pamphlet  for  wide  circulation  by 
the  Department  of  Agriculture. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

Kenton   L.  Butterfield. 

Charles  R.  Van  Hise, 

Charles  F.  Curtiss. 

Andrew   M.   Soule. 

W.   M.   Hays. 

B.  W.   Kilgore. 

Committee. 

W.  A.  Henry,  of  Wisconsin,  moved  "  that  it  is  the  sense  of  the  association  that 
the  report  of  President  Butterfield  be  printed  at  an  early  date  by  the  Depart- 
ment at  Washington." 

The  motion  was  seconded  and  adopted. 

Resolution  Regarding  Agricultural  Extension  Work  by  the  Office  of 
Experiment  Stations. 

K.  L.  Butterfield.  of  .Massachusetts,  submitted  a  resolution  on  this  subject 
which,  after  some  discussion  which  developed  opposition  to  "authorizing"  or 
'"instructing"  the  executive  committee  to  work  for  an  appropriation  for  the 
purpose  named,  was  adopted  in  the  following  i  modified)  form  : 

Whereas  we  believe  that  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  should  be  given  an  adequate  appropriation  for  the  distinct 
purpose  of  investigating,  in  a  much  more  thorough  manner  than  is  now  practi- 
cable, the  details  of  the  various  forms  of  agricultural-extension  teaching  already 
in  vogue,  of  assisting  the  different  institutions  to  organize  this  form  of  work 
somewhat  comprehensively,  and  of  widely  disseminating  information  and  sugges- 
tions relative  to  new  developments  in  this  most  important  form  of  agricultural 
education  :  Therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  this  association  favor  an  appropriation  by  Congress  which  will 
enable  the  Department  to  carry  out  the  work  suggested. 

A.  C.  True,  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations.  As  a  matter  of  information 
I  would  like  to  state  the  exact  condition  of  things  with  reference  to  this  matter 
in  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations.  We  have  had  for  a  number  of  years  an 
appropriation  of  $5,000  tor  work  relating  to  the  farmers'  institutes.  Last  year 
the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  took  up  this  subject  more  broadly,  asking  Congress 
to  increase  the  authority  of  the  Department  so  that  it  might  investigate  and 
report  on  agricultural  schools  as  well  as  farmers'  institutes,  and  for  that  pur- 
pose he  asked  for  an  increase  in  the  appropriation.  This  matter  was  taken  up 
at   the   last   meeting   of   this    association,    and   the   executive   committee    was 


74 

Instructed  to  favor  that  proposition.  The  chairman  of  your  committee  ap- 
peared before  the  Semite  Committee  and  spoke  strongly  in  behalf  of  the 
measure.  The  House,  in  the  meanwhile,  had  refused  to  grant  the  request  of  the 
Secretary,  and  fixed  the  appropriation  just  as  it  had  been  in  previous  years. 
The  Senate,  influenced,  I  have  no  doubt,  largely  by  the  request  of  this  associa- 
tion, granted  both  the  increase  of  authority  pertaining  to  the  scope  of  our  work 
s»>  as  to  include  agricultural  schools  and  the  increase  of  appropriation.  Then, 
of  course,  the  matter  had  to  go  to  conference,  and  in  the  final  outcome  we  were 
granted  the  authority  to  do  the  work,  but  not  the  increase  of  appropriation. 
Meanwhile  it  appears  that  friends  of  agricultural  education  in  the  country. 
who  include,  of  course,  many  members  of  this  association,  have  got  it  into  their 
heads  that  we  are  to  do  this  work,  and  seem  to  have  overlooked  the  fact  that 
we  do  not  have  any  more  funds  to  work  with;  so  in  the  last  six  or  seven  months 
we  have  been  simply  flooded  with  requests  for  additional  efforts  in  various  lines, 
and  it  is  absolutely  impossible  for  us  to  do  the  work  without  more  money. 

Perhaps  I  ought  to  add  that  the  way  in  which  the  matter  will  come  before 
Congress  in  the  first  instance,  at  any  rate,  will  be  through  the  estimate  already 
submitted  by  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture.  This  does  not  propose  to  change 
any  existing  legislation.  The  general  terms  of  the  bill  will  be  the  same,  and 
will  authorize  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  to  investigate  and  report  on  agri- 
cultural schools  and  farmers'  institutes,  and  suggest  better  methods  for  the 
utilization  of  these  agencies  in  the  dissemination  of  information  obtained  by  the 
stations.  The  only  new  thing  that  will  be  brought  to  the  attention  of  Congress 
is  the  increase  of  the  appropriation  for  that  purpose,  and  the  Secretary  has 
recommended  $20,000  next  year,  instead  of  .$5,000,  as  appropriated  at  present. 

The  Secretary  of  Agriculture  is  supporting  this  matter  very  cordially.  lie 
sees  very  clearly  the  interests  involved,  and  we  may  depend  upon  his  doing  all 
he  can.  Anything  that  substantially  puts  this  association  behind  the  movement 
of  the  Secretary  to  increase  our  appropriation  will  be  useful  to  us. 

Report  of  Committee  on  Experiment  Station  Organization  and  Policy.*" 
E.  Davenport,  of  Illinois,  submitted  the  following  report: 

When  the  standing  committe  on  station  organization  and  policy  was  appointed 
at  the  Washington  meeting  a  year  ago  there  seemed  little  work  for  the  com- 
mittee to  do,  'and  it  was  decided  best  not  to  force  work,  but  allow  matters  to 
develop  and  take  up  such  questions  as  might  from  time  to  time  arise. 

I.    THE    ADAMS    ACT. 

In  March,  when  the  passage  of  the  Adams  .bill  seemed  to  be  assured,  Di- 
rector True,  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations,  wrote  the  chairman  of  the  com 
mittee  that  a  number  of  questions  as  to  the  policy  of  stations  in  the  expenditure 
and  use  of  this  new  fund  would  be  much  discussed  in  the  near  future,  and  on 
some  of  these  matters  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  would  have  to  take 
action  as  representing  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  in  the  administration  of 
the  Adams  Act.  He  suggested,  therefore,  that  the  committee  be  called  together 
to  take  such  action  as  might  seem  desirable.  Accordingly,  a  meeting  of  the 
committee  was  held  at  Chicago  April  7.  Directors  Davenport,  Scovell,  Thorne, 
and  Woods,  of  the  committee;  Doctor  Babcock  (representing  Director  Henry), 
and  Director  True  and  Assistant  Director  Allen,  of  the  Office  of  Experiment 
Stations,  were  present,  the  last  three  on  invitation  of  the  committee. 

The  committee  found  itself  in  accord  with  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations 
in  regard  to  the  general  scope  of  investigations  that  can  properly  be  under- 
taken under  the  Adams  Act.  There  has  been  during  the  year  the  most  cordial 
relation  and  a  very  complete  understanding  between  the  committee  and  the  Office 
of  Experiment  Stations  in  regard  to  the  policy  to  be  pursued,  and  the  committee 
heartily  indorses  the  letters  and  circulars  of  the  Office  relative  to  the  Adams  Act. 

«  See  also  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  Cir.  71. 


75 

Among  the  problems  under  consideration  by  the  committee  are — 

(1)  How  can  unnecessary  duplication  of  work  be  avoided? 

(2)  How  can  continuity  of  effort  be  better  insured,  and  rapid  changes  in 
station  officers  be  avoided? 

(3)  What  are  suitable  lines  of  investigations  to  be  taken  up  under  the  Adams 
Act? 

To  gain  as  much  light  as  possible  on  these  and  similar  points,  the  following 
letter  was  sent  to  the  directors  of  the  various  stations : 

"The  committee  on  station  organization  and  policy  desires  to  collect  informa- 
tion upon  the  following  topics : 

"(1)  The  character  of  experiments  that  ought  to  be  undertaken  under  the 
Adams  Act. 

"(2)  How  to  prevent  undue  competition  (between  stations)  so  far  as  men  are 
concerned. 

"(3)    How  to  best  reach  boards  of  control. 

"(4)  What  influence  can  be  exerted  to  prevent  sweeping  and  disastrous 
changes  in  station  organization? 

"(5)  The  relation  of  the  work  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 
to  that  of  the  stations." 

A  large  number  of  replies  were  received  and  have  been  carefully  considered 
by  the  committee  at  numerous  meetings  held  at  Baton  Rouge  before  and  during 
this  session  of  the  association.  At  the  request  of  the  committee,  Doctors  True 
and  Allen  have  met  with  and  greatly  assisted  the  committee  in  their  labors. 

It  speedily  became  evident  that  it  will  of  necessity  be  a  matter  of  years  before 
a  perfectly  satisfactory  working  out  of  the  relations  of  the  station  to  the  Adams 
Act  can  be  accomplished. 

The  local  conditions  surrounding  the  stations,  both  as  to  environment  and  per- 
sonnel, make  it  impossible  to  hope  that  at  the  beginning  it  will  be  always  possi- 
ble for  a  station  to  take  up  lines  of  investigation  of  the  high  type  it  is  hoped 
that  all  the  stations  may  ulimately  attain. 

Even  at  the  risk  of  wearying  the  association  it  seems  wise  to  outline  as  briefly 
as  may  be  some  of  the  difficulties  found  in  the  way  of  clearly  defining  the  rela- 
tions of  the  station  to  the  Adams  Act. 

In  the  abstract  everybody  agrees  with  the  purpose  of  the  Adams  Act  and  the 
desirability  of  restricting  the  fund  closely  to  original  investigations.  When  we 
come  to  concrete  cases,  however,  there  is  a  very  great  difference  of  opinion. 
It  must  be  said  that  there  are  indications  of  a  certain  unreadiness  for  research 
of  the  true  type.  The  difficulty  is  in  a  sense  a  fundamental  one,  but  grows  to  a 
considerable  extent  out  of  a  habit  of  mind.  Many  of  our  station  workers  see 
only  the  immediate  duty  of  the  station  to  the  local  farmer  of  to-day.  They  for- 
get that  the  station  has  a  duty  to  all  phases  of  agriculture  in  a  broad  sense,  in 
order  that  its  labors  may  lead  to  much  more  permanent  and  widespread  benefit. 

The  greatest  difficulties  at  the  present  time,  as  disclosed  by  conversation  and 
correspondence  with  experiment  station  men.  are  (1)  a  lack  of  clear  discrimina- 
tion between  investigation  in  a  strict  sense  and  ordinary  experimental  work ; 
(2)  a  lack  of  definiteness  in  the  purpose  and  plan  of  the  investigations;  (3)  a 
tendency  to  take  up  too  large  or  broad  problems;  and  (4)  the  outlining  of  too 
large  a  number  of  projects. 

As  indicating  the  first  difficulty,  take  the  milking  machine  for  example.  At 
least  a  dozen  stations  have  purchased  milking  machines,  or  plan  to  do  so,  with 
a  view  to  making  what  they  designate  as  investigations  of  the  use  of  that 
machine.  In  several  cases  the  plan  of  work  as  outlined  merely  contemplates 
the  comparison  of  the  machine  with  hand  milking  as  regards  yield  of  milk, 
composition,  and  cost  of  operation.  In  several  other  cases  the  effect  of  machine 
milking  on  the  bacterial  content  and  general  sanitary  condition  of  the  milk 
is  included,  and  in  at  least  one  other  case  the  investigation  is  extended  to  differ- 
ent types  of  machine  and  is  to  include  the  mechanical  construction  and  the  effect 
of  continued  use  upon  the  cow. 

Obviously  a  great  deal  will  depend  in  this  line  of  work  upon  the  mental 
attitude  and  ideals  of  the  man  in  charge  of  it.  It  may  easily  degenerate  into 
something  quite  analogous  to  the  tests  of  separators  and  other  dairy  machinery 
which  were  so  popular  a  few  years  ago  and  which,  useful  as  they  were,  could 
hardly  be  regarded  as  investigations  or  research. 

Perhaps  more  projects  have  been  proposed  in  plant  breeding  than  in  any 
other  subject,  and  these  are  of  great  variety.  They  may  be  classed  somewhat 
roughly  as  follows:  (1)  Those  which  aim  at  "improvement"  in  a  vague  and 
indefinite  way;   (2)    those  which  propose  improvement  and  adaptation  along 


76 

rather  more  definite  lines  by  means  of  selection,  these  selections  to  be  made 
from  the  crops  grown  under  field  conditions,  the  poorer  groups  being  eliminated 

rather  than  the  superior  individuals  selected:  (3)  systematic  breeding  and 
selection,  starting  from  the  individual,  according  to  the  method  used  by  Pro- 
fessor Hays  at  the  Minnesota  Station;  (4)  breeding  or  selection  for  resistance 
to  disease,  insect  attacks,  hardiness,  etc..  in  which  individuals  are  selected 
here  and  there  and  the  attempt  made  to  perpetuate  the  desirable  traits  and  at 
the  same  time  to  keep  tip  the  general  quality  by  crossing  with  approved  va- 
rieties; (5)  improvement  through  crossing  and  hybridizing,  to  be  followed  by 
systematic  and  rigorous  selection:  and  (6)  breeding  experiments  undertaken 
primarily  to  test  the  application  of  recognized  theories,  to  study  correlations 
of  vegetative  parts  with  certain  qualities,  and  to  secure  a  basis  for  generaliza- 
tions on  the  principles  of  breeding. 

These  different  classes  manifestly  differ  widely  in  their  character  and  their 
value,  from  a  scientific  standpoint.  What  classes  of  this  work  should  be 
properly  regarded  as  investigation,  and  where  should  the  line  be  drawn  between 
the  work  of  the  plant  breeder  as  an  expert  on  the  one  hand  and  that  of  the 
seedsman  and  nurseryman  on  the  other?  The  stations  have  shown  the  possi- 
bility of  improvement  along  lines  which  were  not  thought  feasible,  have  pro- 
duced a  considerable  number  of  valuable  strains  of  varieties,  and  have  con- 
tributed toward  the  methods  in  this  line  of  work.  The  question  arises.  Should 
they  go  on  improving  and  adapting  our  common  field  crops  to  local  conditions 
and  special  purposes,  and  regard  this  as  scientic  investigation:  or  should  these 
specific  improvements  be  left  to  the  commercial  man  and  the  more  intelligent 
farmer,  while  the  station  devotes  itself  to  some  of  the  more  difficult  phases 
of  breeding,  and  to  trying  to  develop  some  of  the  principles  and  fundamentals 
which  will.be  of  broad  application  and  will  tend  to  make  our  breeding  more 
sure  and  less  hit-and-miss  than  at  present? 

In  feeding  we  find  (1)  experiments  proposed  which  in  themselves  amount 
merely  to  the  ordinary  comparison  of  different  foods  and  rations,  in  short- 
period  experiments,  and  upon  that  indefinite  thing  designated  the  management 
and  handling  of  feeding  stock;  (2)  isolated  digestion  experiments  made  merely 
to  add  to  our  fund  of  data  ;  (3)  experiments  to  study  the  effect  on  digestibility 
and  the  utilization  of  food,  of  certain  specific  feeding  stuffs,  and  the  combina- 
tions of  different  classes  of  feeds;  (4)  experiments  made  in  connection  with 
analytical  studies  and  digestion  experiments,  to  study  the  nutritive  values  of 
various  feeds,  the  animal  being  the  measure  in  such  cases;  (5)  studies  of  the 
specific  effects  of  different  kinds  of  feeds,  as  certain  grains  and  by-products, 
upon  the  qualities  of  milk  and  dairy  products,  the  limit  of  cotton-seed-meal 
feeding  to  pigs;  and  ((>)  studies  of  the  effects  and  functions  of  particular  con- 
stituents, as  the  ash  and  the  protein,  the  protein  requirement,  metabolism  of 
nutrients,  and  the  theory  of  animal  nutrition  in  general. 

Instances  might  be  multiplied  and  extended  to  all  branches  of  agriculture 
which  show  a  great  difference  of  opinion  as  to  what  constitutes  research,  and 
mark  every  gradation  from  isolated  experiments  of  purely  practical  import  to 
investigations  of  the  most  abstract  character.  They  indicate  that  the  subject 
needs  careful  and  detailed  study  and  can  not  be  disposed  of  offhand.  One  dif- 
ficulty lies  in  the  complex  character  of  our  agricultural  problems.  They  have 
not  been  subdivided  and  classified  as  in  the  case  of  the  pure  sciences,  and  in 
many  cases  our  work  is  inconclusive  and  does  not  bring  our  knowledge  up  to  a 
definite  point  or  stage.  In  a  sense  it  has  been  unsystematic,  leaving  our  knowl- 
edge so  fragmentary  that  there  is  often  difficulty  in  determining  whether  a  given 
topic  is  an  original  one  or  not. 

At  the  present  time  your  committee  finds  it  impracticable  to  lay  down  specific 
lines  along  which  the  Adams  fund  may  be  properly  expended,  and  limits  its 
recommendations  to  those  of  a  general  nature,  leaving  the  more  detailed  state- 
ments to  a  later  time. 

Perhaps  the  following  statement,  adopted  at  the  Chicago  meeting,  sets  forth 
the  ideas  of  the  committee  as  tersely  and  clearly  as  is  at  present  possible: 

It  is  evidently  the  intention  of  the  Adams  Act  to  provide  the  means  for  carry- 
ing on  investigations  of  a  relatively  high  order  with  a  view  to  the  discovering 
of  principles  and  the  solution  of  the  more  difficult  and  fundamental  problems  Of 
agriculture.  To  this  end  it  is  very  desirable  that  careful  attention  shall  be 
given  to  the  choice  of  definite  problems  to  be  studied  and  the  methods  by  which 
the  solution  of  these  problems  is  to  be  sought.  Investigations  in  connection 
with  which  there  is  good  reason  to  expect  the  establishment  of  principles  of 


77 

broad  application  should  be  preferred  to  those  which  have  only  local  or  tem- 
porary importance  or  from  which  only  superficial  results  are  to  be  obtained. 

The  ideal  college  should  be  symmetrical,  in  that  it  is  equally  developed  in  all 
lines.  A  station  need  not  be  symmetrical.  One  or  two  strong  departments  are 
better  than  many  weak  departments.  In  selecting  the  lines  of  work  due  refer- 
ence should  be  given  to  the  special  needs  of  the  State  in  which  the  station  is 
located,  but  the  lines  of  work  adopted  should  be  only  such  as  have  a  reasonable 
expectation  of  leading  to  the  establishment  of  principles  of  broad  application. 
These  lines  of  work  need  not  be  new  lines.  Indeed,  strengthening  lines  of 
investigations  now  in  progress  may  be  fully  as  important  as  the  establishment 
of  new  lines. 

At  the  present  time  we  must  confine  ourselves  to  general  principles  in  select- 
ing the  line  of  research  to  be  taken  up  under  the  Adams  Act. 

To  be  sure  that  these  lines  are  in  the  scope  of  the  Adams  Act.  it  will  be 
necessary  for  the  station  administration  to  clearly  understand  what  constitutes 
research. 

Only  a  few  lines  can  be  advantageously  undertaken  at  a  time.  What  these 
lines  of  investigation  shall  be  must  be  determined  chiefly  by  the  equipment  of 
the  station  in  men  and  facilities. 

The  man  is  the  most  important  factor.  If  the  station  already  has  the  man, 
Ihe  line  of  investigation  must  be  one  to  which  he  is  adapted  by  mental  aptitude, 
education,  and  training. 

If  the  station  is  to  employ  a  new  man.  a  wider  range  in  choice  of  subjects 
might  be  possible.  But  in  any  case  the  man  and  his  line  of  work  must  be 
suitable  to  each  other.  In  the  search  for  men  it  may  not  always  be  possible  to 
find  men  among  the  graduates  of  the  land-grant  colleges  of  broad  enough  train- 
ing to  make  ideal  investigations.  It  is  more  important  that  a  man  be  thor- 
oughly educated  in  the  fundamentals  of  science  than  that  he  be  trained  in  some 
of  its  applications.  For  example,  if  a  station  is  to  investigate  problems  in  soil 
physics  it  is  more  important  that  the  man  be  well  educated  in  the  fundamentals 
of  physics  than  that  he  should  have  had  a  course  in  agricultural  physics  such 
as  is  usually  taught  in  agricultural  colleges.  This  follows  from  the  fact  that 
the  thoroughly  trained  physicist  can  speedily  acquire  the  known  facts  in  soil 
physics,  while  the  man  merely  trained  in  soil  physics  hopelessly  lacks  the  basal 
knowledge  of  the  science. 

After  suitable  lines  of  work  are  decided  upon,  all  payments  for  salary  and 
labor  and  purchase  of  apparatus,  tools,  books,  and  other  material  necessary  to 
carry  out  this  problem  are  allowable. 

II.    ORGANIZATION. 

In  view  of  experiences  not  unknown  in  the  past  and  likely  to  be  repeated 
from  time  to  time  in  the  future,  your  committee  feels  it  not  unwise  to  call  atten- 
tion to  certain  fundamentals  in  organization  that  seem  sometimes  to  be  for- 
gotten or  ovelooked.  but  that  bear  with  irresistible  force  upon  the  efficiency  of 
experiment  stations  as  agencies  for  research. 

(1)  Regarding  the  relation  between  boards  of  trustees  and  station  officers: 
The  function  of  boards  of  trustees  is  legislative,  while  that  of  station  officers  is 
executive.  Boards  adopt  plans  and  station  officers  carry  them  out.  These  two 
functions  are  mutually  exclusive  and  do  not  overlap.  If  proper  distinctions 
are  kept  in  mind  as  to  the  fundamental  difference  between  ordering  a  thing 
done  at  public  expense,  which  is  a  legislative  act,  and  the  carrying  out  of  that 
order,  which  is  an  executive  act — if  this  distinction  be  kept  in  mind,  there  need 
be  no  confusion  as  to  mutual  responsibilities  and  duties  on  the  part  of  station 
officers  and  boards  of  trustees. 

Manifestly  the  determination  of  a  new  policy  of  wide  and  general  application 
or  the  fixing  of  a  new  principle  of  procedure  is  a  deliberative  act  which  nobody 
but  a  board  of  trustees  is  competent  to  undertake.  On  the  other  hand,  to  carry 
out  a  plan  or  policy  to  a  successful  issue — to  meet  and  handle  all  details  and  to 
use  them  to  that  end — these  are  executive  acts  for  which  only  executive  officers 
are  competent. 

The  committee  is  of  the  opinion  that  failure  to  observe  this  fundamental  dis- 
tinction is  the  frequent  occasion  for  station  officers  proceeding  with  insufficient 
authority  on  the  one  hand,  and  upon  the  other  of  attempts  on  the  part  of  the 
boards  of  trustees  or  of  their  members  to  become  involved  in  administrative 
details  that  belong  only  to  station  officers.     The   first  is   certain   to   lead  to 


78 

censure  if  not  ultimately  t<>  sudden  and  sweeping  removals;  the  second  makes 
the  position  of  station  officers  intolerable.  Your  committee  is  clear  upon  this 
point,  viz,  that  any  confusion  as  to  mutual  responsibilities  and  duties  as  between 
boards  of  trustees  and  their  employees  is  fatal,  not  only  to  efficiency  of  service, 
but  ultimately  to  the  organization  itself. 

(2)  Regarding  the  source  of  authority:  The  authority  of  an  officer,  whether 
legislative  or  executive,  arises  out  of  the  nature  of  his  responsibilities,  and  the 
imposing  of  that  responsibility  by  any  competent  body  carries  with  it  suf- 
ficient authority  for  all  acts  necessary  to  its  discharge.  But  no  officer  is  com- 
petent to  act  except  within  regularly  constituted  channels.  For  example,  a 
director  has  no  right  to  assume  the  duties  of  a  subordinate.  In  the  discharge 
of  his  duties  he  must  act  as  a  director,  not  as  another  officer.  Similarly,  an 
individual  who  is  a  member  of  a  board  of  trustees  is  competent  to  discharge 
his  functions  only  in  regular  session.  The  authority  of  the  board  resides  in  the 
body  as  a  whole,  and  not  in  its  individual  members,  unless  they  have  been 
directed  to  act  for  that  body  in  a  special  matter.  All  this  is  aside  from  the 
fact  that  it  is  not  only  important  but  necessary  to  intelligent  performance  of 
their  duties  that  members  of  boards  of  trustees  familiarize  themselves  with 
the  details  of  station  work  and  needs. 

(3)  Propriety  in  relation  between  employer  and  employed:  It  is  manifestly 
inconsistent  for  the  same  individual  to  hold  an  administrative  position  in  a 
station  and  at  the  same  time  be  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees.  It  not  only 
establishes  the  absurd  situation  of  a  man  enacting  the  laws  under  which  he 
himself  shall  afterwards  serve  in  a  public  capacity,  but  it  undermines  that 
feeling  of  confidence  and  personal  security  on  the  part  of  his  associates  that  is 
known  to  be  necessary  to  good  and  efficient  service. 

(4)  Tenure  of  office:  Reasonable  security  of  position,  at  least  among  men 
who  have  now  a  fair  right  to  honorable  standing  among  their  fellows — all  this 
is  so  manifestly  essential  to  even  fair  efficiency  that  your  committee  ventures  to 
express  the  conviction  that  to  subject  faithful  station  officers  to  the  ordeal  of 
annual  reappointment  is  not  only  unnecessary  to  the  securing  of  efficient  service, 
but  it  is  disturbing  to  individuals,  tends  to  prevent  the  formation  of  plans  and 
policies  looking  to  the  highest  stability,  and  is  positively  dangerous  to  the  integ- 
rity of  the  organization. 

The  committee  is  in  possession  of  a  mass  of  material  bearing  upon  a  variety 
of  questions  of  more  or  less  personal  interest  and  which  it  reserves  for  future 
report,  mentioning  at  this  time  only  the  matters  that  seem  of  most  importance 
at  the  moment. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

E.    Davenport. 
C.  D.  Woods, 
W.  A.  Henry, 
H.  J.  Waters, 
M,  A.  Scovkll, 
C.  E.  Thorne, 

Committee. 

Address  ok  Assistant  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

Assistant  Secretary  W.  M.  Hays,  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  was 
called  upon  and  spoke  as  follows: 

Mr.  President:  I  am  glad  to  be  here,  even  though  I  am  late.  I  am  glad  to  be 
here  in  particular  because  of  the  inspiration  that  comes  from  such  a  body  of 
men.  This  is  one  of  our  mighty  organizations.  This  great  movement,  which 
had  its  beginning  but  a  few  decades  ago.  has  gained  impetus  so  rapidly  that  1 
tear  we  hardly  realize  what  is  coming.  The  amount  of  expenditures  in  agri- 
cultural research  to  date  ami  the  amount  promised  to  be  spent  in  the  near  future 
are  significant.  Approximately  $25,000,000  have  been  spent  in  America  in  the 
last  twenty  years  for  agricultural  research,  and  presumably  a  like  amount  in 
other  countries.  Even  larger  amounts  are  being  expended  for  teaching  agricul- 
ture and  other  industrial  work.  The  amounts  which  are  now  being  appro- 
priated for  agricultural  research,  agricultural  school  work,  and  agricultural 
extension  work  make  it  look  as  if  in  twenty-five  years  at  least  a  quarter  of  a 
billion  dollars  will  have  been  spent  in  agricultural  research  and  a  much  larger 
amount  in  industrial  education. 

The  body  of  knowledge  that  has  come  to  agriculture  from  research  work  is 
coming  to  be  so  stupendous,  so  intricate,  and  so  valuable  that  it  is  bound  to 


79 

make  for  itself  a  very  large  place  in  our  educational  system.  The  members  of 
institutions  represented  by  this  association  should  take  a  larger  part  in  framing 
up  the  plans  for  education  in  the  respective  States.  We  are  inclined  too  much 
to  leave  this  work  to  the  so-called  professional  educator,  whether  he  be  in  an 
official  position  as  a  State  superintendent  or  at  the  head  of  a  school  of  peda- 
gogy. The  experiences  of  the  teachers  of  industrial  work  in  our  agricultural  and 
mechanical  colleges  have  placed  them  in  position  better  to  see  how  to  reor- 
ganize our  school  system  on  a  more  practical  basis  for  the  workers,  whether 
they  be  farmers,  toilers  in  the  city  industries,  or  home  makers. 

Some  of  the  things  developed  from  necessity  in  the  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture, which  is  much  the  largest  organization  sending  delegates  to  this  associa- 
tion, ought  to  be  of  interest  to  those  interested  in  the  administration  of  agricul- 
tural colleges  and  experiment  stations.  I  wish  at  this  time  to  mention  one 
thing  as  illustrating  the  fact  that  some  of  the  details  of  the  larger  organization 
may  be  more  generally  used. 

As  the  business  of  the  colleges  and  experiment  stations  grows  in  volume  the 
presidents  and  directors  need  to  find  ways  of  lessening  the  detail  work  to  which 
they  must  attend.  The  system  developed  at  Washington  of  initialing  letters 
which  should  be  signed  by  the  head  of  the  institution,  but  need  not  be  written  by 
him,  is  worthy  of  investigation.  A  great  many  of  the  letters  signed  by  the 
Secretary  of  a  Federal  Department  are  prepared  by  bureau  heads  or  by  other 
bureau  officials  or  division  officers.  Some  of  these  are  initialed  by  the  bureau 
heads  and  some  are  not.  Some  of  them  have  on  them  the  initials  of  a  division 
head  as  well  as  the  initials  of  a  bureau  head.  Still  others  have  only  the  initials 
of  a  division  head,  as  each  bureau  may  arrange.  This  plan  makes  it  practica- 
ble for  the  man  who  is  in  most  intimate  touch  with  the  subject-matter  of  a 
given  subject  to  write  the  letter,  thus  giving  the  chief  who  must  sign  the  letter 
the  advantage  of  the  technical  information  of  the  one  who  writes  it.  This  plan 
is  an  advantage  to  the  person  who  writes  the  letter,  because  it  enables  him  to 
be  conversant  with  and  to  aid  in  guiding  the  project  at  every  point.  It  gives 
the  executive  officer  a  chance  to  direct,  check,  or  change  statements  in  line  with 
the  general  policy  without  taking  much  of  his  time.  It  gives  to  the  writer  of  the 
letter  a  chance  to  have  his  work  constantly  authorized  by  signatures.  The  fact 
that  recipients  of  these  letters  know  from  the  initials  who  really  write  them  is 
in  practically  all  cases  a  decided  advantage.  Under  this  scheme  trusted  clerks 
can  distribute  much  mail  upon  its  receipt  directly  to  the  persons  who  are  to  pre- 
pare replies,  thus  greatly  facilitating  business. 

General  Resolutions. 

After  adopting  resolutions  of  thanks  for  courtesies  and  favors  received  the 
convention  adjourned  sine  die. 

26140— No.  184—07  m 6 


MINUTES  OF  THE  SECTIONS. 


SECTION  ON  COLLEGE  WORK  AND  ADMINISTRATION. 


Afternoon  Session.  Wednesday,  November  14.  1900. 

The  sectiou  was  called  to  order  at  2.30  i>.  m.  by  Chairman  C.  K.  Van  Ilise.  of 
Wisconsin. 

The  first  address  presented  was  one  by  D.  B.  Purinton.  of  West  Virginia,  as 
follows  : 

Relation  of  the  Land-Grant  College  to  the  Public  School  System. 

The  theme  assigned  me  is  both  comprehensive  and  important.  It  involves 
both  the  principles  of  educational  philosophy  and  the  practices  of  educational 
life.  Its  terms  can  not  he  easily  misunderstood.  By  "  land-grant  colleges."  I 
take  it.  are  meant  those  institutions  in  the  various  States  and  Territories  which 
receive  the  benefit,  in  whole  or  in  part,  of  the  so-called  land-grant  acts  of  1862 
and  of  1890.  by  which  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  appropriated  some 
eight  or  ten  million  acres  of  the  public  domain  to  purposes  of  higher  education. 
By  "  public  school  system  "  is  meant  that  provision  made  by  law  in  each  of  the 
States  and  Territories  for  the  education  of  its  youth  at  the  public  expense,  in 
whole  or  in  part.  It  includes  the  district  school — graded  or  ungraded — the 
grammar  school,  the  high  school,  the  normal  school,  and.  in  some  cases,  the 
manual  training  school.  Possibly  it  may  likewise  include  some  schools  of  a 
professional  or  technical  character. 

The  land-grant  college  is  in  every  case  the  joint  product  of  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States  and  the  legislature  of  a  given  State — that  is.  of  the  nation  and 
the  State  combined.  The  public  school  system  is  the  creature  of  the  State 
alone.  The  relation  of  these  two  must  therefore  be  essentially  a  thing  not  of 
the  nation  but  of  the  State.  Both  institutions  are  managed  and  controlled  by 
the  State,  the  national  element  in  the  college  being  merely  incidental. 

But  the  question  of  this  relation  which  we  now  seek  involves  the  more  funda- 
mental question  of  the  relation  of  the  State  to  the  subject  of  education  in  gen- 
eral. Has  the  State  duties  concerning  the  education  of  its  citizens  :  and  if  so. 
what  duties"-  The  first  of  these  questions.  I  take  it.  need  not  be  seriously  con- 
sidered. For.  whatever  may  have  been  the  opinion  of  our  fathers,  the  logic  of 
events  has  convinced  us  that  the  State  must,  in  some  real  sense,  care  for  the 
proper  education  of  its  youth.  The  second  question  is  not  so  easy.  Concern- 
ing the  character  and  extent  of  this  duty  citizens  equally  intelligent  and 
patriotic  entertain  radically  different  opinions.  This  difference  is  to  be  ex- 
pected from  the  very  nature  of  the  case. 

In  the  judgment  of  the  present  writer,  the  State  has  four  distinct  obliga- 
tions in  the  matter  of  education  : 

(1)  To  see  that  every  child  in  the  State  is  so  educated  as  to  prepare  him 
to  be  a  good  citizen.  This  includes  both  the  right  and  the  duty  of  compulsory 
education  if  necessary. 

(2)  To  provide  and  support  such  schools,  and  in  such  numbers  as  to  give 
adequate  and  universal  opportunity  for  education  for  good  citizenship.  This 
means  public  schools  for  all  those  who  have  no  other  available  agencies  of 
education. 

(3)  To  supervise  all  schools,  whether  private,  or  corporate.  Private  citi- 
zens, guilds,  churches,  and  corporations  may  properly  enter  the  educational 
field,  but  they  may  not  do  as  they  please  in  that  field.     For  instance,  they  may 

(81) 


82 

not  teach  doctrines  hurtful  to  the  State,  such  as  polygamy,  anarchy,  or  treason. 
To  permit  such  teaching  would  he  suicidal  folly  on  the  part  of  the  State. 

(4)  To  secure  for  citizens  who  are  to  become  special  functionaries  of  the 
state  ample  opportunity  to  make  special  preparation  for  such  service  of  the 
State.  This  fourth  proposition  has  been  strenuously  contradicted  in  some 
quarters.  And  yet  I  think  it  is  correct.  1  should  not  go  to  extremes  in  this 
matter  as  in  Plato's  Republic,  for  example,  in  which  every  State  official  was  to 
have  been  substantially  under  the  educational  control  of  the  State  from  his 
eighth  to  his  fortieth  year.  But  I  do  insist  that  the  State  secure  for  its  future 
officials  and  responsible  leaders  such  educational  advantages  as  may  he  neces- 
sary to  make  them  competent  to  till  their  respective  places.  It  is  on  this 
principle  that  normal  schools  and  other  technical  and  professional  schools  arc 
to  be  justified.  Nothing  less  than  this  will  insure  the  life  and  prosperity  of 
the  State  itself.  To  he  sure,  these  advantages  need  not  he  actually  provided  by 
the  State  in  case  other  provision  can  be  found,  but  the  State  must  see  that 
they  are  provided. 

I  have  dwelt  somewhat  upon  this  principle  because,  as  it  seems  to  me.  it  is 
essential  to  the  right  understanding  of  the  true  relation — or,  indeed,  of  any 
relation  at  all,  for  that  matter — between  the  land-grant  college  and  the  public 
school  system.  If  the  State  has  neither  the  duty  nor  the  right  to  furnish  more 
than  the  simple  rudimentary  education  necessary  for  private  citizenship,  as 
some  educators  contend,  then  the  land-grant  college  can  have  no  conceivable 
relation  whatever  with  the  public  school  system.  Indeed,  it  can  have  no  excuse 
for  existing. 

The  public  school  has  been  euphemistically  called  "the  people's  university." 
Now.  that  is  just  what  the  land-grant  college  really  is.  or.  at  all  events,  really 
ought  to  be.  That  is  to  say,  the  main  purpose  of  the  land-grant  acts  was  to 
bring  liberal  learning  within  reasonable  reach  of  all  the  people.  That  it  was 
to  provide  liberal  learning  is  made  sufficiently  evident  in  the  following  words 
found  in  the  act  of  1862:  "In  order  to  promote  the  liberal  and  practical  edu- 
cation of  the  industrial  classes  in  the  several  pursuits  and  professions  in  life. 
Not  excluding  classical  studies."  Now,  the  type  of  education  set  forth  in 
these  words  is  practically  the  same  as  that  found  in  the  ordinary  American 
college  or  university.  That  this  education  was  to  be  for  all  the  people  is  seen 
in  the  words  of  Senator  Morrill,  author  of  the  two  bills,  who  declared  their 
purpose  to  be  "to  enable  the  industrial  classes  of  the  country  to  obtain  a  cheap, 
solid,  and  substantial  education,  and  to  get  it  when  they  could  not  in  any  other 
way,  because  of  the  cost  of  the  classical  schools  of  the  country."  These  are 
great  and  gracious  words.  The  legislation  to  which  they  refer  is  positively 
unique  and  epoch-making  in  the  history  of  education.  For  the  first  time  in  the 
world's  history  we  see  a  great  nation  making  general  and  generous  provision 
for  the  highest  education  of  its  lowest  citizens.  Thenceforth  the  poor  man's  son 
is  to  have  equal  chance  with  the  rich.  It  was  never  seen  on  this  fashion  before. 
Hitherto  university  education  had  been  so  expensive  as  to  cut  out  the  poor.  It 
is  still  so  as  a  rule  in  universities  of  the  old  type. 

A  good  illustration  of  tin4  situation  has  recently  come  to  the  notice  of  American 
educators  in  connection  with  the  University  of  Oxford,  England.  The  holders  of 
the  Cecil  Rhodes  scholarships  are  notified  beforehand  that  the  $1,500,  which  is 
the  annual  amount  yielded  by  each  scholarship,  is  barely  sufficient  to  pay  the 
necessary  expenses  of  a  year's  residence  at  Oxford.  The  case  is  quite  different 
with  students  of  our  American  land-grant  colleges.  These  colleges,  with  their 
small  fees,  their  free  tuition,  and  their  absence  of  expensive  and  luxurious  tradi- 
tions, reduce  the  necessary  expenses  to  one-fourth  of  the  amount  named  above. 
This  is  altogether  as  it  should  be.  And  this  fact  alone  connects  these  colleges 
in  a  vital  way  with  the  public  school  systems  of  the  States  in  which  they  are 
respectively  located.  Indeed,  they  belong  to  the  systems  themselves.  The  land- 
grant  college  is  but  the  last  link  in  the  educational  chain,  the  highest  rung  of 
the  educational  ladder  which  any  ambitious  youth  of  the  State  may  hope  to 
climb. 

If  this  be  the  true  relation  which  is  under  discussion,  it  involves  certain  defi- 
nite obligations  which  should  be  recognized  in  the  management  of  these  colleges. 
A  few  of  these  obligations  may  be  properly  mentioned — 

(1)  Tuition  should  be  free  to  all  students  resident  in  the  State,  or  as  nearly 
so  as  conditions  will  permit  Other  institutions  are  at  liberty  to  charge  large 
fees  if  they  like,  but  these  can  not  do  so  without  practically  defeating  the  pur- 
pose of  their  establishment.  Of  course  due  care  should  be  taken  to  prevent  the 
abuse  of  this  provision  by  nonresident  students. 


83 

(2)  The  curricula  of  studies  should  be  such  as  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  people 
at  large.  Other  institutions  may  properly  confine  their  work  largely  to  the 
classics  and  the  cultural  studies  if  they  wish,  but  land-arrant  colleges  should 
have  regard  to  what  the  people  want  to  know  and  to  do.  Technical  and  practical 
studies  should  be  emphasized.  What  special  branches  should  be  made  promi- 
nent in  each  State  should  be  determined  by  the  special  needs  of  that  State.  In 
a  State  largely  agricultural,  the  department  of  agriculture  should  receive  primal 
attention.  In  a  State  rich  in  minerals  and  mining  operations,  where  new  towns 
are  springing  up  and  new  railroads  being  constructed,  the  college  of  engineering 
should  be  made  specially  strong.  Studies  in  law.  medicine,  pedagogy,  music, 
art.  etc..  should  in  like  manner  be  made  to  meet  the  legitimate  demands  upon 
them. 

(3)  All  public  high  schools  and  preparatory  schools  in  the  State  should  be 
accredited  or  approved  by  the  college,  in  so  far  as  their  work  is  worthy  of 
approval,  so  that  good  students  upon  completing  their  studies  in  the  secondary 
schools  may  find  a  natural  entrance  to  their  college  life  unobstructed  by  terrific 
and  terrifying  examinations.  There  is  no  good  reason  why  a  timid  freshman, 
just  at  the  very  critical  period  of  his  first  severe  attack  of  nostalgia,  should  be 
confronted  with  four  years  of  his  educational  past,  any  more  than  that  a  bump- 
tious sophomore  or  a  self-satisfied  senior  should  be  so  confronted.  Nay.  verily; 
if  such  an  exaction  of  exotic  examinations  should  be  made  at  all  in  college  life, 
it  should  be  required  from  the  upper-class  men.  rather  than  from  the  freshman. 

(4)  A  close,  intimate,  and  friendly  relation  with  secondary  schools  should  be 
maintained  by  the  college.  This  may  be  done  by  means  of  an  inspector,  a  field 
agent,  a  faculty  committee,  or  by  all  these  combined.  But  by  every  possible 
means  the  college  should  stimulate  the  secondary  schools  to  be  worthy  of  the 
relation  which  they  should  sustain  to  the  college.  We  are  told  that  every  good 
and  perfect  gift  cometh  down  from  above.  And  this  is  true  in  education  as  in 
religion.  All  educational  history  proves  that  the  best  things  for  progress  and 
perfection  have  been  handed  down  to  the  lower  schools  from  those  which  are 
above.  Accordingly,  the  average  high  school  is  not  pushed  higher  by  schools 
beneath  it.  but  pulled  higher  by  schools  above  it.  This  pulling  process  the  land- 
grant  college  should  regard  as  a  part  of  its  legitimate  business. 

(5)  The  land-grant  college  should  stand  for  the  best  ideals  in  education  from 
top  to  bottom.  By  its  own  example  of  thoroughness  and  sincerity  it  should 
inspire  the  entire  public  school  system  to  be  what  it  claims  to  be,  to  do  what  it 
pretends  to  do.  and  to  avoid  the  very  appearance  of  intellectual  or  educational 
dishonesty.  As  a  rule  these  colleges  are  better  equipped  than  other  like  schools 
in  their  respective  States.  This  fact  gives  both  the  ability  and  the  obligation  to 
be  altruistic  and  missionary  in  spirit  and  aspect.  Representatives  of  the  college 
should,  as  far  as  possible,  attend  teachers'  institutes,  grange  meetings,  boards  of 
trade,  improvement  leagues,  church  conventions,  and  the  like,  and  should  so 
conduct  themselves  as  to  find  a  hearty  welcome  at  all  such  gatherings  of  their 
fellow-citizens. 

(G)  The  land-grant  college  should  make  higher  education  as  attractive  as 
possible  to  the  average  citizen.  It  may  be  frankly  admitted  that  this  average 
citizen  is  himself  not  a  very  attractive  personality.  Apostles  of  culture  like 
Pythagoras  and  Matthew  Arnold  may  quite  naturally  despise  him.  Even  Plato 
may  disparage  him.  But  the  genius  of  modern  civilization  is  distinctly  in  his 
favor,  and  the  sanest  theory  of  evolution  attributes  the  raising  of  the  type  to  the 
development  of  the  individual  under  the  type.  It  is  for  America  to  show  the 
world  that  the  average  man  may  receive  at  least  a  fairly  liberal  education.  It 
is  for  the  land-grant  college  to  translate  the  conditions  of  culture  into  available 
terms  of  ordinary  human  life.  In  its  relation  to  the  public  school  system  it  is 
simply  to  complete  the  work  already  begun,  to  mature  the  fruit  already  pro- 
duced, to  gratify  the  ambition  already  inspired,  to  make  of  the  average  man 
who  wishes  it  a  strong,  capable,  useful,  high-minded,  broad-visioned  citizen. 
So  shall  it  be  in  deed  and  in  truth  the  "  people's  university." 

A  single  reflection  may  properly  close  this  paper.  It  is  admittedly  not 
exactly  on  the  subject,  but  it  seems  pertinent  thereto.  The  reflection  concerns 
the  marvelous  growth,  within  recent  years,  of  the  State  university  in  this 
country.  The  pertinence  of  the  reflection  will  appear  from  two  considerations  : 
First,  in  many  of  the  States  the  State  university  and  the  land-grant  college  are 
one  and  the  same.  Second,  in  practically  all  the  States  the  State  universities 
have  imbibed  the  educational  spirit,  accepted  the  educational  philosophy,  and 
adopted  the  educational  policy  of  the  land-grant  acts.  In  1862,  when  the  first 
of  these  acts  became  law.  the  State  university  was  scarcely  counted  among  the 
educational  forces  in  this  country.     The  corporate  and  denominational  institu- 


84 

tions  were  doing  most  of  the  work.  Since  then  these  institutions  have  grown 
immensely.  Even  the  oldest  of  the  corporate  universities  have  more  than 
doubled,  and  in  some  instances  quadrupled  their  plants,  their  endowments,  and 
their  student  bodies.  New  institutions  have  entered  the  held  with  their  multi- 
plied millions.  The  churches  have  bestirred  themselves.  The  Baptist  Church, 
for  instance,  within  the  period  mentioned,  has  invested  nearly  $50,000,000  in 
plants  and  endowments  for  higher  education.  Methodists,  Presbyterians,  and 
others  have  been  similarly  active.  Even  the  smaller  and  weaker  religious 
bodies  have  caught  the  contagion.  One  of  them,  for  example,  whose  com- 
municants in  the  entire  country,  number  less  than  20,000,  is  supporting  three 
colleges — one  in  New  York,  one  in  West  Virginia,  and  one  in  Wisconsin. 

But,  strange  to  say,  in  the  midst  of  all  this  varied  and  vigorous  educational 
activity,  the  State  university  has  come  to  the  front  with  unexampled  rapidity. 
There  are  now  in  the  United  States  50  institutions  having  a  thousand  or  more 
students  each.  Half  of  these  are  State  institutions.  Eight  universities  have 
about  4,000  students  each.  Eour  of  these  are  State  universities.  In  the  aggre- 
gate these  State  institutions  have  a  body  of  5,000  instructors  and  nearly  75,000 
students.  It  is  entirely  safe  to  say  that  no  other  class  of  institutions  is  doing 
more  or  better  work.  Now,  these  remarkable  educational  facts  may  be  vari- 
ously explained,  but,  in  my  judgment,  both  this  phenomenal  growth  of  the  State 
universities  and  the  great  educational  awakening  of  which  it  is  both  an  element 
and  an  evidence  are  due  to  the  influence  of  the  land-grant  acts  more  than  to 
any  other  single  cause,  possibly  more  than  to  all  other  causes  combined.  The 
recent  unprecedented  progress  of  popular  and  liberal  learning  owes  vastly  more 
than  we  are  apt  to  think  to  the  land-grant  colleges  of  America. 

Following  this  address  there  was  general  discussion  of  the  topic,  special 
attention  being  paid  to  the  rural  schools  and  the  preparation  of  teachers  for 
these  schools  and  the  extension  of  the  teaching  of  agriculture  into  the  rural 
schools  and  high  schools.  Special  interest  was  shown  in  the  subject  of  the  intro- 
duction of  agriculture  into  the  common  schools. 

B.  O.  Aylesworth,  of  Colorado,  discussed  the  relation  of  normal  and  public 
schools  in  Colorado,  and  stated  that  an  effort  would  be  made  to  pass  a  bill 
requiring  agriculture  to  be  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  that  State. 

Several  of  the  delegates  reported  that  this  had  already  been  done  in  their 
States,  and  there  was  considerable  discussion  of  the  advisability  of  this  means 
of  introducing  agriculture  into  the  country  schools,  the  consensus  of  opinion 
seeming  to  be  that  legislation  on  this  subject  is  not  wise,  because  it  is  likely 
to  be  ineffectual  on  account  of  the  lack  of  preparation  of  teachers.  Teachers 
must  be  first  trained  to  teach  agriculture  before  compulsory  instruction  is 
advisable. 

C.  R.  Van  Hise,  of  Wisconsin,  stated  that  in  his  opinion  no  course  a  student 
of  average  ability  can  take  is  as  certain  of  results  as  the  course  in  agriculture. 

The  subject  was  further  discussed  by  E.  B.  Andrews,  of  Nebraska ;  A.  B. 
Storms,  of  Iowa;  E.  A.  Bryan,  of  Washington;  K.  L.  Butterfleld,  of  Massa- 
chusetts; J.  L.  Snyder,  of  Michigan;  H.  C.  White,  of  Georgia,  and  Brown 
Ay  res,  of  Tennessee. 

R.  W.  Stimson,  of  Connecticut,  presented  the  following  address; 

Student  Labor. 

Is  student  labor  to-day  a  vital  subject? 

Let  us  first  get  our  bearings. 

The  Scylla  and  Charybdis  of  the  land-grant  colleges  are  the  danger,  on  one 
hand,  that  their  training  will  be  too  liberal,  and  the  peril,  on  the  other,  that 
it  will  be  too  practical.  It  is  well  recognized  that  where  two  elements  of  train- 
ing must  be  included  one  may  be  made  to  prevail  at  the  expense  of  the  other. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  our  double  duty.  The  Morrill  Act  of  1802  pre- 
scribes that  "without  excluding  other  scientific  and  classical  studies,  and 
including  military  tactics,"  we  shall  "teach  such  branches  of  learning  as  are 
related  to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,  in  order  to  promote  the  liberal 
and  practical  education  of  the  industrial  classes  in  the  several  pursuits  and 
professions  of  life."  The  Morrill  Act  of  1800  is  no  less  explicit.  It  provides 
lor  education   in  "agriculture,  the  mechanic  arts,  the  English  language,  and 


85 

the  various  branches  of  mathematical,  physical,  natural,  and  economic  science, 
with  special  reference  to  their  application  in  the  industries  of  life."  Pure 
culture  and  culture  applied,  pure  science  and  science  applied,  were  equally 
prescribed. 

If  any  one  man  possessed  divine  right  to  expound  the  meaning  of  the  text  of 
these  acts,  certainly  it  was  the  founder  of  the  land-grant  colleges  himself. 
Pressed  for  an  interpretation,  Mr.  Morrill  urged  that  the  object  of  these  colleges 
was — 

"  To  give  an  opportunity  for  those  engaged  in  industrial  pursuits  to  obtain 
some  knowledge  of  the  practical  sciences  related  to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic 
arts,  such  as  they  could  not  then  obtain  at  most  of  our  institutions  called  clas- 
sical colleges,  where  the  languages,  Greek  and  Latin,  French  and  German, 
absorbed  perhaps  two-thirds  of  all  the  time  of  the  students  while  in  college. 

"  But,"  he  continued,  "  it  never  was  intended  to  force  the  boys  of  farmers 
going  into  these  institutions  so  to  study  that  they  all  should  come  out  farmers. 
It  was  merely  intended  to  give  them  an  opportunity  to  do  so,  and  to  do  so  with 
advantage,  if  they  saw  fit. 

"  Obviously,"  he  said,  "  not  manual  but  intellectual  instruction  was  the  para- 
mount object.  It  was  not  provided  that  agricultural  labor  in  the  field  should 
be  practically  taught  any  more  than  that  the  mechanical  trade  of  a  carpenter 
or  blacksmith  should  be  taught.  Secondly,  it  was  a  liberal  education  that  was 
proposed.  Classical  studies  were  not  to  be  excluded,  and  therefore  must  be 
included.  The  act  of  1862  proposed  a  system  of  broad  education  by  colleges, 
not  limited  to  a  superficial  and  dwarfed  training  such  as  might  be  had  at  an 
industrial  school,  nor  a  mere  manual  training  such  as  might  be  supplied  by  a 
foreman  of  a  workshop  or  by  a  foreman  of  an  experimental  farm.  If  any 
would  have  only  a  school  with  equal  scraps  of  labor  and  of  instruction  or  some- 
thing other  than  a  college,  they  would  not  obey  the  national  law.  Experience 
in  manual  labor,  in  the  handling  of  tools  and  implements,  is  not  to  be  dis- 
paraged ;  in  the  proper  rime  and  place  it  is  most  essential,  and  generally 
something  of  this  may  be  obtained  either  before  or  after  the  college  term,  but 
it  should  not  largely  interfere  with  the  precious  time  required  for  a  definite 
amount  of  scientific  and  literary  culture,  which  all  earnest  students  are  apt  to 
find  far  too  limited." 

Mr.  Morrill  spared  no  pains  in  efforts  to  make  his  meaning  clear.  On  another 
occasion  he  said : 

"  Something  more  than  a  blackboard  and  a  piece  of  chalk  is  wanted.  A  labo- 
ratory with  an  extensive  stock  of  chemicals,  scientific  instruments  and  appa- 
ratus, libraries,  museums,  mineralogical  cabinets,  military  halls  and  gymnasiums 
can  not  be  had  without  expense,  but  they  also  are  prime  necessities.  *  *  * 
The  branches  of  scientific  learning  have  been  greatly  multiplied  and  expanded 
in  modern  days,  and  there  is  a  public  and  progressive  demand  for  them  which 
these  colleges  must  supply  at  whatever  cost." 

Another  element  indicative  of  the  character  of  the  land-grant  colleges  should 
not  be  overlooked.  According  to  Senator  Morrill's  conception,  not  only  were  the 
land-grant  colleges  to  be  "  higher  institutions  of  sound  learning,"  not  only  would 
he  wish  to  "  multiply  them  tenfold  and  especially  multiply  such  as  grapple  with 
practical  affairs  of  everyday  life  and  are — 

"  *      *      *     not  too     *      *      *     good 
For  human  nature's  daily  food," 

but  he  would  also  have  them  open  to  the  poor.  This  idea  seems  to  have  been 
carried  out  to  his  entire  satisfaction,  for  in  1890,  when  his  bill  was  brought  up 
in  the  Senate  for  debate  or  passage,  Mr.  Morrill  took  occasion  to  say : 

"  The  land-grant  colleges  are  institutions  that  do  not  lift  the  cost  of  their 
instruction  out  of  the  reach  of  the  many  nor  generate  habits  of  profuse  expendi- 
ture, and  are  healthy  homes  for  students,  especially  for  those  destitute  of  hered- 
itary resources,  who  look  only  to  a  life  of  honorable  effort  and  labor." 

Made  possible  by  these  acts  of  Congress,  their  purpose  explained  in  such 
unmistakable  terms  by  their  original  promoter,  evidently  the  late  President 
Atherton,  whose  presence  we  sorely  miss  to-day,  was  speaking  with  the  fullest 
warrant  when,  just  six  years  ago  to-day,  in  his  notable  address  at  the  New 
Haven  convention,  he  said  that  the  land-grant  colleges  possess  "  a  charter  broad 
enough  to  cover  the  whole  range  of  learning."  And  we  may  well  find  inspira- 
tion in  President  Atherton's  prediction  that,  close  as  they  are  to  the  needs  of 
the  great  mass  of  our  common  people,  "  The  future  of  higher  education  in  this 
country  belongs  largely  to  these  colleges  and  to  the  influences  they  have  cre- 
ated and  must  continue  to  create." 


86 

In  general  it  may  safely  be  said  that  the  vicissitudes  which  our  institutions 
have  encountered  have  not  been  due  to  the  fundamental  Federal  law:  they  have 
been  due  to  local  leanings,  practices,  and  even  prejudices.  'The  several  States 
have  been  left  largely  alone  to  interpret  the  law  and  to  carry  out  its  provisions, 
according  as  their  legislatures  might  respectively  prescribe.  Most  of  the  pilots 
have  sailed  their  courses  by  charts  derived  from  local  soundings.  The  wonder 
is  not  that  there  has  been  so  much,  but  that  there  has  been  so  little  wreckage. 
Here  an  institution  has  veered  too  far  toward  a  liberal  education ;  there  one 
has  pressed  too  close  to  the  practical.  It  is  when  we  begin  to  examine  local 
conditions  that  the  vital  nature  of  the  subject,  "  Strdent  labor,"  now  specific- 
ally before  us,  becomes  evident. 

By  student  labor  it  is  understood  that  we  mean  compulsory  manual  labor 
performed  during  term  time  in  the  various  branches  of  agriculture  at  the  col- 
lege and  paid  for  by  the  college.  Starting,  as  our  colleges  started,  with  no 
definite  policies  adopted  and  with  no  precedents  established,  the  question  which 
confronts  us  is:  How  did  student  labor  come  to  be  made  compulsory? 

Speaking  for  Connecticut,  and  leaving  the  motives  operative  in  other  localities 
to  be  brought  out  in  the  discussion  which  may  follow,  I  should  say  that  the 
main  motives  appear  to  have  been  two:  (1)  Desire  to  make  the  net  cost  to  the 
student  of  the  new  education  moderate,  and  (2)  desire  to  make  this  education 
practical. 

In  Connecticut  the  first  institution  to  benefit  by  the  land-grant  college  move- 
ment was  Sheffield  Scientific  School,  a  department  of  Yale.  Looking  over  some 
old  documents  not  long  ago,  I  found  a  copy  of  a  letter  addressed  to  the  faculty 
of  Sheffield  Scientific  School  by  one  of  its  members,  Prof.  John  Addison  Porter, 
which  throws  a  most  interesting  light  on  the  early  local  situation.  Professor 
Porter  said,  in  part : 

"It  is  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  fund  referred  to  is  to  be  used  for  the 
'  instruction  of  the  industrial  classes ; '  that  is,  of  men  and  the  children  of 
such  men  as  work  with  their  own  hands  in  agricultural  or  mechanical  employ- 
ment.    This  class  of  persons  has  not,  hitherto,  resorted  to  the  scientific  school. 

"  The  length  and  character  of  the  courses  and  the  large  expense  of  residence 
in  New  Haven  have  precluded  the  possibility  of  this  save  in  a  few  exceptional 
cases.  Neither  the  increase  of  the  salaries  of  the  professors  (in  itself  certainly 
a  most  desirable  object)  nor  the  employment  of  new  professors  will  adapt  the 
institution  any  better  to  the  wants  of  the  class  referred  to. 

"  The  case  would  be  different  if  a  portion  of  the  fund  were  devoted,  as  in 
some  other  States,  to  defraying  the  expenses  of  students,  or  if  by  the  location  of 
the  school  on  a  farm  or  the  provision  of  workshops  the  opportunity  were 
afforded  to  students  of  defraying  by  their  own  labor  at  least  a  portion  of  the 
expenses  of  the  course.  By  this  means  the  expenses  of  a  student  at  the  Mich- 
igan Agricultural  College  are  reduced  to  less  than  $100  per  annum. 

"As  no  such  provision  is  here  made  for  defraying  or  diminishing  the  expenses 
of  students  except  by  the  remission  of  their  fees,  it  is  very  obvious  that  this 
sine  qua  non  of  cheap  education  for  the  industrial  classes  can  only  be  realized 
in  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School  by  the  introduction  of  short  courses  of  study 
attended  with  proportionately  small  expenses. 

"As  we  have  taken  upon  ourselves  the  responsibility  of  bringing  the  agri- 
cultural college  fund  to  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School,  or  at  least  accepting  it 
from  the  State,  the  obligation  is  imposed  upon  us  of  thus  adapting  our  institu- 
tion to  the  necessities  of  the  class  for  whose  benefit  the  fund  was  granted  by 
Congress.     In  this  view  I  understand  the  faculty  to  be  agreed." 

Yale  held  the  so-called  "  agricultural  fund  "  for  twenty-eight  years,  with  the 
following  results ;  Bachelors  of  philosophy,  263 ;  short-time  students,  of  what 
not  known,  107;  or  a  total  of  370  students,  of  whom  the  whole  number  of 
agricultural  graduates,  from  Connecticut  and  elsewhere,  was  only  13.  This  13 
appears  to  have  been  indeed  an  unlucky  number  for,  by  act  of  the  general 
assembly  and  after  bitter  litigation,  Yale  lost  the  fund. 

Meantime,  an  agricultural  school  had  been  established  by  the  State,  with  the 
aid  of  private  benevolence,  at  Storrs,  05  miles  distant  from  New  Haven,  the 
object  of  which,  as  determined  by  the  act  establishing  it,  was  the  education  of 
boys  whose  parents  were  citizens  of  Connecticut  in  such  branches  of  scientific 
knowledge  as  should  "  tend  to  increase  their  proficiency  in  the  business  of  farm- 
ing." The  school  had  been  modeled  closely  after  the  Ontario  Agricultural 
College,  at  Guelph.  Compulsory  student  labor  had  been  made  one  of  its 
essential  features.  To  this  institution,  raised  to  the  rank  of  a  college  and 
amplified  in  its  curriculum  by  the  addition  of  departments  of  mechanic  arts  and 


87 


domestic  science,  the  fund  which  Yale  had  received  was  diverted.  This  insti- 
tution, now  known  as  the  Connecticut  Agricultural  College,  has  since  received 
all  the  income  from  the  Morrill  funds  and  has  been  the  sole  representative  in 
Connecticut  of  the  land-grant  college  movement.  Three  hours  a  day  of  manual 
labor,  paid  for  at  8  cents  an  hour  or  less,  according  to  proficiency  and  to  good 
or  bad  behavior,  and  required  of  all  students  during  the  entire  course,  was 
a  prominent  part  of  the  heritage  received  by  the  college  from  the  old  Storrs 
School  and  was  preserved  as  a  sacred  custom.  It  was  known  that  this  student 
labor  made  the  cost  of  education  to  the  students  cheap ;  it  was  alleged  that  it 
made  their  education  practical.  By  many  it  was  considered  vital  to  the  purpose 
of  the  new  college. 

Sheer  growth  in  numbers  is  understood  to  have  forced  the  abandonment  of 
complusory  student  labor  in  some  of  our  colleges,  it  having  become  impossible 
to  provide  work  for,  and  direct  the  work  of,  so  many  students. 

Last  year,  discussing  certain  addresses  of  speakers  who  had  preceded  him 
on  the  programme  of  this  section.  Director  Bailey,  of  Cornell,  took  occasion  to 
say  : 

"  Through  the  papers  there  seems  to  run  a  sentiment  that  training  for  mere 
manual  skill  should  be  eliminated  from  courses  that  lead  to  degrees.  This  you 
will  recall  is  very  forcibly  expressed  in  the  change  of  attitude  in  the  agricul- 
tural colleges  during  the  last  twenty  years  in  respect  to  compulsory  manual 
labor.  All  of  them  have  now  given  it  up,  and  the  labor  now  required  in  the 
agricultural  colleges  is  on  an  educational  basis,  namely,  laboratory  work.  The 
growing  disposition  to  occupy  the  first  two  years  of  a  college  course  with  funda- 
mental, or  what  some  people  wish  to  call  '  pure-science.'  subjects,  is  a  further 
indication  that  mere  technical  training  is  insufficient." 

In  Connecticut,  not  overwhelmed  by  numbers,  but  responsive  to  the  tendency 
and  the  sentiment  cited  by  Professor  Bailey,  our  college  finally  became  bold 
enough  to  sacrifice  this  sacred  tradition.  Compulsory  manual  labor  was 
abandoned  by  us  five  years  ago.  Our  courses  of  study  have  undergone  a  radical 
reorganization.  And  it  has  been  most  interesting,  instructive,  and  encouraging 
to  note  the  results. 

The  following  diagram  will  compactly  exhibit  our  method  of  adjusting  our 
institution  to  our  local  environment.  Practically  all  our  instructive  labor,  or 
agricultural  laboratory  work,  is  now  included  in  the  training  of  the  middle  two 
years,  namely,  years  three  and  four : 

Six   Years   of   Education   Provided   at   The   Connecticut   Agricultural   College 


ENTRANCE  ROM 
COMMON  SCHOOLS 


ENTRANCE  FROM 
HIGH  SCHOOLS 


1 21  YEAR 


ENGLISH 
ARITHMETIC 

ALGEBRA 
AMERICAN 

HISTORY 
ELOCUTION 


#1 


2N-DYEAR 


ENGLISH 
GEOMETRY 

PHYSICS 

CHEMISTRY 

BOTANY 


ELEMENTARY 
SCIENCE 

FREE  HAND 
DRAWING 

BOOKKEEPING 
POULTRY 


*m~ 


*m~ 


HISTORY 
ELOCUTION 
DRILL  REGU- 
LATIONS 

HORTICULTURE 
FOUR 


SIX 


■"  Studies  of  firs!  and  second  years,  prescribed;  courses  of  years  three  lo  four,  or  three  Jo  six,  inclusive,  are  elective,  as  above  shown.  Spe- 
cial Students  are  admitted  for  even  one  year  in  any  course,  if  properly  prepared.     Arrows  indicate  groups  of  study,  each  complete  in  itself. 

ADDITIONAL  ADVANTAGES:- 

WINTER  SCHOOL,  Short  Courses,  for  Busy  People,  Profitable  vacations  for  .Farmers. 
SIMMER  SCHOOL,  for  Teachers  and  Others,  devoted  to  Nature  and  Country  Life. 


Fig.  1. — Six  years  of  education  provided  at  the  Connecticut  Agricultural  College. 


The  college  still  employs  such  students  as  desire  to  work  outside  class  hours, 
and  pays  thein  for  their  labor.  The  cost  of  education  to  a  poor  boy  continues 
to  be  moderate.     Under  the  new  rule  students  have  not  become  averse  to  manual 


88 

labor.  When  the  need  arises  our  students  work  cheerfuly.  and  work  like 
Trojans.  Our  students  are  DO  more  afraid  to  "dirty  their  hands"  to-day  than 
were  the  students  of  the  old  regime.  Less  time  devoted  to  ordinary  routine 
labor  lias  made  more  time  available  for  real  training  in  technical  operations, 
without  encroachment  upon  time  needed  for  study.  The  ehange  has  made  for 
increased  efficiency  in  practical  farming,  while  at  the  same  time  making  our 
training  for  farming  more  scientific.  August  4  last,  the  Rural  New  Yorker 
(p.  804)  gave  a  prominent  place  in  its  first  editorial  column  to  the  following 
statement : 

"We  are  sometimes  asked  if  there  is  any  college  in  the  country  where  a  per- 
son can  learn  farming — it  being  understood  that  agriculture  can  be  studied  in 
a  number  of  places.  This  makes  a  distinction  between  the  business  and  the 
science  of  cultivating  the  soil.  We  should  say  that  the  Connecticut  Agricul- 
tural College  comes  nearest  to  being  a  farming  school." 

Rating  the  value  of  this  judgment  high  or  low.  certainly  it  is  true  that  the 
training  of  these  middle  two  years  is  of  such  efficiency  that  the  college  never 
has  stood  better  with  our  best,  our  most  practical,  farmers  than  it  stands 
to-day. 

As  to  the  results  on  the  side  of  scholarship,  it  will,  perhaps,  be  enough  to 
state  the  fact  that  graduates  of  high  schools  who  have  been  given  the  educa- 
tion of  our  middle  two  years  are  received  without  conditions  into  the  junior 
class  at  Cornell  and  elsewhere. 

In  brief,  the  abandonment  of  compulsory  manual  labor  in  Connecticut  has 
made  our  education  at  once  more  liberal  and  more  practical.  By  this  means 
our  land-grant  college  educational  navigation  is  daily  being  made  more  easy, 
not  more  difficult. 

These,  then,  are  the  opinions  and  results  I  would  submit  for  your  consid- 
eration, if  confronted  by  such  questions  as:  (1)  What  do  we  mean  by  student 
labor?  (2)  How  did  student  labor  ever  come  to  be  made  compulsory?  (3) 
Have  our  institutions  lost  anything  by  giving  it  up?  (4)  How  shall  our 
training,  particularly  in  agriculture,  be  made  both  liberal  and  practical,  in  the 
view  not  only  of  our  founder,  but  also  of  our  clients? 

Control  of  Student  Activities. 

The  subject  of  control  of  student  activities  was  discussed  by  E.  B.  Andrews, 
of  Nebraska.  He  laid  stress  on  the  necessity  of  faculty  oversight  of  nearly  all 
things  students  undertake  in  any  united  way.  This  should  not  be  narrow  or 
nagging,  but  so  free  that  student  originality  and  initiative  can  have  full  play. 
Direction  and  suggestion  are  nearly  always  better  than  commands  or  stiff  rules. 
The  abuses  of  athletics,  deplored  by  all,  show  that  the  wisdom  and  firmness  of 
college  officials  can  not  be  dispensed  with.  The  finances  of  student  organiza- 
tions particularly  call  for  faculty  surveillance.  This  mainly  not  because 
students  are  intentionally  dishonest,  but  oftenest  because,  not  accustomed  to 
bookkeeping  or  to  fiscal  responsibility,  they  are  careless  and  become  involved 
before  they  are  aware.  It  is  our  duty  to  prevent  this,  not  only  to  prevent 
cheating,  but  as  well  to  make  these  treasurerships  means  of  valuable  training 
and  education  to  such  as  hold  them,  and  to  make  student  accounting  a  model 
to  other  students  and  to  the  public. 

J.  L.  Snyder,  of  Michigan,  spoke  as  follows: 

Organization  of  the  Teaching  Force  in   Land-Grant  Colleges. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  head  of  this  organization  should  be  the  presi- 
dent of  tbe  institution.  It  should  be  his  organization,  planned  by  him  and  entirely 
under  his  control,  lie  should  be  the  presiding  officer,  appoint  all  committees, 
and  be  an  ex  officio  member  of  each  committee.  Special  meetings  should  be 
called  only  on  his  initiative.  The  order  of  business  in  this  organization  should 
be  so  planned  that  matters  brought  before  it  may  be  transacted  with  dispatch, 
lie  should  have  authority  to  refer  questions  which  will  require  faculty  action  to 
committees  to  be  investigated  thoroughly  before  they  are  brought  to  the  atten- 
tion of  the  faculty.     The  time  of  the  faculty  members  is  too  precious  to  sit  for 


89 

hours  listening  to  men  talk  about  subjects  which  they  have  not  investigated,  and 
about  which  consequently  they  know  little.  It  is  all  right  at  times  to  thresh 
out  subjects,  but  before  the  threshing  begins  the  members  should  take  time  to 
investigate.  Who  has  not  been  bored  beyond  the  power  of  expression  by  listen- 
ing to  members  attempting  to  discuss  something  to  which  they  had  previously 
given  no  investigation  or  thought?  Such  aimless,  fragmentary  discussion 
should  not  be  permitted  to  encroach  upon  the  time  of  the  faculty. 

The  president  should  also  have  authority  to  settle  all  matters  of  discipline, 
or.  if  he  prefers,  to  turn  them  over  to  deans  of  departments,  or  to  call  to  his  aid 
such  a  committee  from  the  faculty  as  he  may  choose.  Their  action  should  be 
final.  The  faculty,  as  such,  should  not  be  bothered  with  questions  of  discipline. 
It  should  not  be  necessary,  under  ordinary  conditions,  to  hold  meetings  more 
frequently  than  once  a  month,  and  then  for  only  one  hour. 

The  personnel  of  the  faculty,  council,  or  governing  body — by  whatever  name 
designated — should  depend  somewhat  upon  the  size  and  character  of  the  institu- 
tion. In  the  smaller  institutions  the  full  professors  and  perhaps  first  assistants 
may  constitute  this  body ;  in  larger  schools  the  heads  of  departments,  or  it  may 
perhaps  include  only  the  deans  of  departments.  While  this  body  should  not  be 
unwieldy  or  cumbersome,  yet  it  should  contain  as  many  strong  men  from  as 
many  different  departments  as  possible.  It  should  be  the  means  of  maintaining 
the  unity  and  solidarity  of  the  institution;  hence,  as  far  as  possible,  all  interests 
should  be  represented.  Some  institutions  have  two  governing  bodies  which  bear 
much  the  same  relation  to  each  other  as  the  two  branches  of  our  National  Con- 
gress. By  this  method  a  much  larger  number  may  be  given  a  hand  in  the  run- 
ning of  the  institution.  At  the  same  time,  the  smaller  body  composed  of  a  few 
of  the  leading  men  serves  as  a  check  on  the  larger  and  more  popular  body. 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  most  of  our  State  institutions  in  recent  years  has 
necessitated  the  employment  of  a  large  number  of  instructors.  They  far  out- 
number those  of  higher  rank.  They  are  young,  enthusiastic,  capable ;  yet  their 
services  are  not  needed  in  the  governing  body.  The  administration  does,  how- 
ever, need  their  loyalty  and  their  earnest  support.  Many  of  them  are  fresh  from 
the  student  ranks,  and  are  in  much  closer  touch  with  the  student  body  than  are 
their  superiors.  Their  personal  friends  are  among  the  students  rather  than 
with  the  faculty.  They  must  mingle  with  the  students  for  much  of  their  social 
life.  They  are  deeply  interested  in  the  social  functions  of  the  students — athletics, 
and  other  student  affairs.  They  are  in  position  to  exert  a  very  strong  influence 
on  the  student  body ;  but,  without  organization,  without  direction,  their  influence 
is  very  often  on  the  wrong  side.  With  such  questions  as  the  faculty  are  unable 
to  settle  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  student  body,  their  sympathies  are  very 
likely — and  very  naturally  so — to  be  with  the  students.  The  attitude  of  the 
faculty  is  such  as  to  lead  these  instructors  to  feel  that  they  are  employed  for 
certain  specific  work,  and  when  they  do  that  faithfully  and  well  their  responsi- 
bility ends.  They  do  not  feel  a  personal  responsibility  for  the  maintenance  of 
discipline  or  for  the  general  welfare  of  the  institution. 

The  great  question  now  in  the  organization  of  the  teaching  force  which  many 
of  us  are  compelled  to  meet  is :  How  can  the  instructors — those  below  the  rank 
of  assistant  professor — be  organized  and  put  to  work  in  such  a  way  as  to  bring 
them  into  closer  touch  and  into  greater  sympathy  with  the  administration? 
How  can  this  great  body  of  young  people,  which  usually  constitutes  more  than 
half  the  teachers,  be  so  organized  as  to  exert  a  potent  influence  for  good  in 
college  life?  When  we  think  of  the  number  of  instructors  and  their  close  con- 
nection with  the  student  body  we  can  readily  see  that  there  is  a  tremendous 
energy,  a  tremendous  force,  which  might  be  utilized  to  great  advantage,  but 
which,  under  present  conditions,  counts  for  little  in  the  welfare  of  the  college 
community.  I  think  it  is  not  claiming  too  much  to  say  that  the  instructors  of 
an  institution  have  it  within  their  power  to  control  many  of  the  problems,  such 
as  hazing,  class  rushes,  evils  of  athletics,  etc.,  which  now  very  often  cause  the 
administration  considerable  trouble. 

The  problem  is :  How  can  the  administration  secure  their  loyal  support? 
First,  not  by  organizing  them  as  a  separate  body.  They  must  be  a  part  of  the 
administrative  force,  not  a  subordinate  organization  with  special  objects  and 
ends  of  its  own ;  not,  perhaps,  in  any  definite  organized  plan.  Where  the 
institution  is  not  too  large  and  where  it  is  possible  for  the  president  to  come 
into  touch  with  these  young  instructors  and  in  a  personal  way  elicit  their  help, 
great  results  can  be  accomplished.  Where  it  is  not  possible  for  the  president 
of  the  institution  to  have  this  personal  contact  with  them,  the  deans  or  heads 


90 

of  departments  may  do  much.  These  instructors  should  he  given  recognition; 
they  are  entitled  to  it.  They  are  not  men  hired  simply  for  a  specific  piece  of 
work,  such  as  the  day  laborer;  their  responsibilities  do  not  end  with  the  work 
of  the  class  room.  They  should  he  led  to  see  that  the  future  of  these  young 
people  whom  they  instruct  is  in  their  hands;  that  they  should  take  a  personal 
interest  in  them  outside  of  the  class  room  :  that  they,  so  long  as  on  the  pay  roll. 
are  part  of  the  administration  although  they  may  not  sit  in  its  councils. 

The  attitude  of  the  administration  toward  the  instructors  should  he  one  of 
sympathy  and  helpfulness.  It  is  proper,  of  course,  for  the  president  of  the 
institution  to  do  his  business  with  the  instructors  through  the  head  of  the 
department,  yet  this  does  not  mean  that  he  should  not  meet  with  them  on 
certain  occasions,  talk  with  them  ahout  their  work,  and  in  every  way  possible 
show  them  that  he  is  in  entire  sympathy  with  them  and  willing  to  give  them 
any  support  possible,  lie  should  have  them  feel  that  he  expects  them  to  main 
tain,  not  only  in  their  own  lives  a  high  standard  of  morality,  hut  that  they  will 
take  it  upon  themselves  to  correct  in  a  quiet  way  the  personal  habits  and  the 
evil  influences  which  may  he  found  among  the  student  body. 

One  institution  with  which  I  am  familiar  calls  together  several  times  a  year 
the  entire  teaching  force.  Every  one  comes  into  these  meetings  on  an  equal 
footing;  he  is  a  part  of  the  administrative  force  of  the  institution.  In  these 
meetings  it  has  heen  the  custom  for  one  department  to  have  charge  and  to 
explain  to  the  other  memhers  of  the  teaching  force  the  work  carried  on  by  that 
department.  As  far  as  possible  the  instructors  of  the  department  in  charge  are 
given  a  place  on  the  programme.  This  leads  them  to  feel  that  they  are  not 
ignored  :  it  brings  them  before  the  faculty  in  such  a  way  as  to  give  them  con- 
fidence and  to  make  them  feel  that  they  are  filling  really  a  responsible  place. 
This  also  gives  an  opportunity  to  bring  before  the  entire  teaching  force  certain 
problems  of  administration  and  discipline.  In  this  way  the  instructors  become 
interested  and  are  led  to  array  themselves  on  the  right  side  of  all  administra- 
tive problems. 

It  is  not  sufficient  to  confine  the  work  of  these  instructors  to  the  departments 
in  which  they  are  especially  interested.  Responsibilities  of  an  administrative 
nature  may  be  placed  upon  them  in  these  departments,  but  if  they  are  given 
nothing  outside  of  their  own  departments  they  are  liable  to  become  narrow  and 
to  view  with  jealousy  and  somewhat  of  envy  other  departments. 

One  important  lesson  which  every  instructor  should  learn  as  soon  as  possible 
after  lie  becomes  a  member  of  the  teaching  force  is  that  the  institution  is 
much  larger  than  the  department  in  which  he  is  especially  interested,  and  that 
his  first  loyalty  should  be  to  the  institution,  second  to  the  department. 

Therefore,  the  loyalty  and  the  support  of  the  subordinate  members  of  the 
teaching  force  can  be  secured  through  the  personal  efforts  of  the  president  and 
senior  members  of  the  faculty.  It  can  also  be  secured  by  the  general  meetings, 
which  should  not  be  too  frequent  but  which  should  be  made  of  such  a  nature  as 
to  interest  the  young  men  and  the  young  women  of  the  teaching  force,  and 
which  should,  in  a  special  way,  lead  them  to  feel  that  they  are  occupying  posi- 
tions of  responsibility. 

Evening  Session,  Thursday,  November  15,  1906. 

In  the  absence  of  Chairman  Van  Ilise,  the  section  was  called  to  order  by 
Secretary  H.  C.  Price,  who  stated  that  President  Van  Hise  had  been  compelled 
to  return  home.  B.  A.  Bryan,  of  Washington,  was  chosen  chairman  for  the 
remaining  sessions  of  the  section. 

Election  of  Officers  of  the  Section  and  Members  ok  the  Executive 

Committee. 

On  motion,  the  chairman  appointed  the  following  committee  on  nominations 
for  members  of  the  executive  committee  from  the  college  section:  B.  YY.  Stim- 
son.  (\  C.  Thach.  and  W.  J.  Kerr.  They  made  the  following  nominations. 
which  were  confirmed  by  the  section:  II.  C.  White,  of  Georgia  :  J.  L.  Snyder,  of 
Michigan,  and  W.  E;  Stone,  of  Indiana. 


91 

E.  A.  Bryan,  of  Washington,  was  elected  chairman  of  the  section,  and  H.  C. 
Price,  of  Ohio,  was  reelected  secretary. 

The  chairman-elect  and  secretary-elect  were  authorized  to  prepare  a  pro- 
gramme for  the  next  annual  meeting  of  the  section. 

Miss  Isabel  Bevier,  of  Illinois,  presented  the  following  address: 

Home  Economics  in  a  College  Course. 

introduction. 

It  seems  like  carrying  coals  to  Newcastle  to  have  one  who  has  had  but  a 
brief  experience  of  six  years  of  the  work  of  home  economics  in  a  land-grant 
college  to  speak  to  those  who  have  been  a  part  of  the  work  for  thirty  years. 
However,  such  as  I  have  I  give  unto  thee  gladly,  and,  if  the  story  seem  too 
personal  or  savor  too  much  of  the  vernacular  of  Illinois,  it  is  because,  being 
neither  a  prophet  nor  the  daughter  of  a  prophet,  it  seems  best  to  speak  of  that 
which  we  do  know  and  testify  of  that  which  we  have  seen. 

HOME    ECONOMICS   IN    A    COLLEGE    COURSE. 

It  is  not  necessary  in  this  audience  to  spend  time  in  discussing  the  name  or 
content  to  any  extent.  Whether  it  be  called  domestic  science,  domestic  economy, 
home  economics,  or,  as  one  Englishman  put  it,  domestic  knowingness,  you  under- 
stand that,  reduced  to  its  simplest  terms,  home  economics  includes  those 
courses  which  have  to  do  with  the  activities  of  the  home  along  the  lines  of  ap- 
plied art,  applied  science,  and  applied  economics.  This  statement  shows  the 
work  is  not  limited  by  sex  lines — the  facts  of  economics,  science,  and  art  are 
the  same  for  men  and  women — the  applications  may  or  may  not  be  the  same. 
The  home  decorator  may  be  of  either  sex,  but  must  know  the  principles  of  art. 
In  these  days  a  knowledge  of  dietetics  is  essential  for  the  physician,  man  or 
woman.  Yet  so  long  as  the  world  is  constituted  as  at  present,  the  administra- 
tive side  of  the  home  is  likely  to  be  largely  in  the  hands  of  women.  It  is  said 
that  90  per  cent  of  money  expended  is  expended  by  women  or  for  women. 
Therefore,  the  subject  as  a  whole  is  of  peculiar  interest  to  women. 

For  our  present  purpose  it  seems  better  to  consider  the  subject  under  two 
main  divisions : 

(1)  Factors  in  the  development  of  home  economics. 

(2)  Its  possibilities. 

It  seems  to  me  much  of  the  misconception  concerning  home  economics  has 
been  due  to  the  fact  that  comparatively  few  people  have  regarded  it  in  its 
educational  aspect  or  considered  it  in  its  relation  to  other  subjects  of  the  col- 
lege curriculum.  It  has  been  to  many  a  stone  over  which  they  have  stumbled, 
but  have  passed  on  without  stopping  to  consider.  Closer  study  reveals  the  fact 
that  home  economics  as  it  now  exists  in  our  colleges  and  universities  is  a  part 
of  a  general  educational  movement  and  that  several  factors  have  contributed  to 
its  development.     I  name  as  some  of  these  factors — 

(a)   Education  of  women. 

(&)   Technical  schools. 

(c)  Coeducation. 

(d)  Changed  industrial  and  social  conditions. 

(e)  Land-grant  colleges. 

EDUCATION   FOR   WOMEN. 

Let  us  recall  briefly  some  of  the  steps  in  the  education  of  women.  You  realize 
that,  inadequate  as  the  training  was  which  was  afforded  by  the  reading,  writing, 
and  grammar  schools,  it  was  provided  for  boys  only.  Girls  might  be  taught, 
but  they  were  not  to  be  admitted  to  the  schools.  The  Dames'  schools  were  the 
only  organized  agency  outside  the  home  for  the  education  of  girls,  and  they  are 
said  to  have  afforded  opportunities  to  learn  needle  work,  dancing,  and  improve- 
ment in  manners. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  steps  of  progress  in  the  education  of  girls  as 
evidenced  by  their  admission  to  the  reading  and  writing  schools  for  one  hour 
per  day,  of  their  instruction  in  the  summer  in  arithmetic,  geography,  and  com- 
position, by  their  brothers  who  were  Yale  students,  and  the  various  devices  by 
which  they  were  presented  with  the  crumbs  of  education. 


92 

While  Now  England  led  in  provision  for  the  education  of  its  girls,  some 
attention   was  given   to   their   instruction   in  other  parts   of  the  country.     The 

Moravian  school  at  Bethlehem.  Pa.,  is  among  the  earliest.  However,  it  was  not 
until  the  last  decade  of  the  century  that  they  were  granted  even  a  part  of  the 
privileges  of  the  grammar  schools.  The  only  schools  to  which  girls  were  ad- 
mitted in  Boston  in  1784  were  the  writing  schools,  held  between  the  forenoon 
and  afternoon  sessions  of  the  public  school.  In  1789  a  "great  reform"  was 
instituted  by  organizing  a  so-called  "double-headed  school."  Instruction  was 
given  in  reading  and  writing.  The  girls  attended  reading  school  in  the  morn- 
ing and  the  boys  the  writing,  and  vice  versa;  so  separate  instruction  was  main- 
tained. The  position  of  girls  as  regards  educational  privileges  in  New  England 
at  this  time  is  shown  by  the  action  of  the  school  board  of  Gloucester,  which 
voted  in  1790  a  "that  two  hours  of  the  eight  hours  of  daily  instruction  be  de- 
voted to  girls,  as  they  are  a  tender  and  interesting  branch  of  the  community. 
but  have  been  much  neglected  in  the  public  schools  in  this  town."  It  appears 
that  they  continued  to  be  "tender  and  interesting"  without  much  opportunity 
for  self-improvement  until  1820.  the  time  of  the  organization  of  Mrs.  Willard's 
Female  Seminary.  One  year  later  Catharine  Beecher's  school  was  established 
at  Hartford,  and  the  process  by  which  girls  were  to  he  transformed  from 
females  to  women  was  well  begun. 

The  story  of  the  organization  of  the  Boston  High  School  for  Girls  is  given  in 
the  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  &  as  follows  : 

"  On  September  25,  1825,  the  city  council  appropriated  $2,000  for  a  high 
school  for  girls.  The  school  was  instituted  January  13,  1825,  and  before  the 
end  of  the  second  year  had  become  so  popular,  the  applicants  for  admission 
were  so  numerous,  so  many  parents  were  disappointed  that  children  were  not 
received,  the  demand  for  larger  and  better  accommodations  involved  such 
additional  expenditures  that  the  school  committee,  under  the  lead  of  the  mayor. 
Josiah  Quincy,  met  the  emergency  by  abolishing  the  school  and  pronouncing  it 
a  failure.  For  a  period  of  twenty-three  years  no  attempt  was  made  to  revive 
the  subject  in  either  branch  of  the  city  council." 

Meanwhile  a  new  instrument  of  education  had  appeared,  viz.  academies,  of 
which  Phillipps  Academy  at  Andover  and  Exeter  are  noted  examples.  The 
institution  o  at  Medford,  Mass..  opened  in  1789,  "dignified  by  the  title  of 
academy,"  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  for  girls  in  New  England.  Leicester 
and  Westford  were  coeducational  from  the  start.  Bradford,  founded  1803; 
Adams,  1823,  the  first  incorporated  expressly  for  girls,  and  Abbot  Academy,  1829. 
are  among  the  most  noted. 

The  scientific  inventions  and  discoveries  and  the  consequent  industrial  de- 
velopment made  necessary  appropriate  educational  instruments.  The  content 
of  education  was  enlarged  to  include  technical  training.  This  demand  was  met 
in  part  by  the  introduction  of  what  were  called  manual-labor  seminaries,  ex- 
amples of  which  are  Rensselaer,  New  York.  1824.  and  the  Fellenberg  Institute. 
of  Windsor.  Conn.  The  experiment  was  tried  in  a  number  of  States.  Many 
of  the  institutions  failed  or  continued  under  other  names,  but  they  had  their 
part  in  enlarging  the  educational  outlook  and  in  dignifying  labor. 

The  founding  of  Oberlin  College  for  both  sexes.  1833;  the  introduction  of  a 
school  for  engineers,  Troy,  N.  Y.,  1835;  the  opening  of  Mount  Ilolyoke  Seminary, 
1837:  the  beginning  of  normal  schools,  Lexington,  Mass..  1839;  the  founding  of 
the  New  England  Female  Medical  College.  1842;  the  founding  of  Yassar  in  1865 
are  illustrations  of  the  broadening  educational  outlook  and  the  recognition  of 
the  need  of  definite  training  for  special  work.  The  engineer,  the  teacher,  and 
the  nurse  were  given  opportunity  for  definite  professional  training. 

TECHNICAL  SCHOOLS. 

The  demand  for  practical  education  and  industrial  training  is  shown  in  the 
founding  of  technical  schools.  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology.  1865; 
Lehigh  University,  1866;  Worcester  Polytechnic  School.  1868.  The  year  1870 
seems  remarkable  for  the  number  and  variety  of  its  experiments  in  education. 
It  was  in  this  year  that  drawing  was  made  an  integral  part  of  the  work  in  the 
Boston  public  schools,  that  Michigan  and  Illinois  industrial  universities  were 
opened  to  women,  while  cooking  and  sewing  were  introduced  into  the  schools  of 

«  Outlook,  vol.  82.  p.  191. 

&  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  1871,  p.  512. 

o  History  of  Education  in  the  United  States.  Dexter,  pp.  428-429. 


93 

the  Eastern  States.  The  idea  of  manual  training  received  a  great  impetus  in 
the  Centennial  Exposition  of  1876,  and  led  in  the  next  decade  to  the  founding  of 
schools  for  manual  training  in  most  of  the  large  cities,  the  first  being  established 
in  St.  Louis  in  1879. 

By  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  century  it  was  evident  to  the  student  of  educa- 
tional affairs  that  the  industrial  spirit  in  education  was  a  mighty  factor;  that 
courses  in  applied  science  and  applied  art  (their  interpretation  and  application 
to  the  activities  of  daily  life)  would  have  a  place  in  the  school  programmes,  and 
that  a  knowledge  of  the  classics  was  no  longer  the  measuring  unit  for  educa- 
tional standards. 

While  much  is  to  be  said  concerning  the  advantages  of  being  first  to  enter 
a  new  field,  there  are  compensations  for  being  behind  time.  The  fact  that  the 
education  of  women  has  lagged  behind  that  of  the  men  has  saved  much  experi- 
menting on  the  women.  The  technical  schools  for  men  practically  settled  both 
the  technical  and  educations ]  value  of  such  training  for  women. 

COEDUCATION. 

It  is  perhaps  difficult  now  to  appreciate  just  how  much  coeducation  and  the 
technical  schools  have  meant  in  the  development  of  the  education  of  women, 
particularly  in  work  in  home  economics.  To  be  sure  in  the  early  days  of 
coeducation  the  women  were  so  interested  in  keeping  step  intellectually  with 
the  men  that  they  gave  themselves  sometimes  too  strenuously  to  the  joy  of  that 
privilege.  Again,  applied  science  for  men  as  taught  in  the  technical  schools 
gave  a  certain  definiteness  to  their  work  in  science,  which  was  much  needed  in 
woman's  work  in  those  lines.  It  is  not  perhaps  too  much  to  say  that  much  of 
woman's  early  work  in  chemistry  was  a  more  or  less  indefinite  playing  with 
test  tubes  in  which  one  of  three  results  was  expected — a  beautiful  coior,  a  bad 
odor,  or  an  explosion.  She  was  not  long  in  discovering  that  her  brother  took 
chemistry  and  bacteriology  not  because  some  one  had  told  him  that  it  ought  to 
form  a  part  of  a  liberal  education,  but  because  he  expected  to  use  this  knowledge 
later  in  his  work  with  soil  or  in  the  dairy.  Women  were  thus  helped  to  see 
that  there  was  a  field  of  applied  science  for  women  as  well  as  for  men.  They 
realized  later  that  the  laws  of  heat  could  be  illustrated  by  the  kitchen  range 
quite  as  adequately  as  by  the  steam  engine,  that  the  life  history  of  bacteria 
could  be  studied  in  many  household  processes,  and  that  the  chemistry  of  food 
was  in  many  cases  better  suited  to  their  needs  than  that  of  stones  under  the  title 
"Determinative  mineralogy."  Thus  there  came  into  being  the  applied-science 
side  of  home  economics.     Applied  art  was  a  later  development. 

LAND-GRANT    COLLEGES. 

For  more  than  thirty  years  some  of  the  land-grant  colleges  have  had  work 
in  home  economics.  Iowa,  Kansas,  and  Illinois  were  pioneers  in  this  movement, 
and  from  that  early  day  to  the  present  no  one  agency  has  been  more  effective 
than  the  land-grant  college.  In  the  past  decade  the  number  of  such  departments 
has  greatly  increased  in  the  land-grant  colleges  until  now  they  number  36.  No 
one  agency  has  seen  the  possibilities  of  the  subject  so  clearly  or  laid  for  it  such 
broad  and  deep  foundations.  These  colleges  are.  and  have  ever  been,  schools 
for  the  people — schools  for  the  home.  It  has  been  their  particular  province  to 
determine  and  interpret  the  principles  underlying  the  work  and  the  life  of  the 
farm  and  the  home.  Agriculture  and  home  economics  have  had  much  in  common 
in  their  development.  Both  are  among  the  newer  subjects  of  the  college  cur- 
riculum, so  they  have  had  to  bear  the  questioning  that  is  bestowed  upon  any  new 
idea,  the  indifference  of  those  who  feel  that  "  the  old  way  is  the  best  way." 
and  the  scorn  of  the  student  of  the  classics  for  "  bread  and  butter  education." 
The  agriculturist  has  had  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  the  need  of  the  scientific 
basis  in  his  own  field,  and  he  appreciates  perfectly  the  necessity  for  it  in  home 
economics.  He  never  makes  the  mistake  of  interpreting  home  economics  as 
baking  and  millinery.  As  a  result  of  the  investigation  and  teaching  of  these 
colleges  the  old  idea  that  anybody  can  farm  and  that  anybody  can  "  keep 
house"  has  well-nigh  disappeared,  and  with  it  the  idea  that  farming  means 
plowing  only,  and  that  the  activities  of  the  home  are  fully  represented  by  the 
making  of  hot  biscuits.  Changed  ideals  concerning  essentials  in  education 
and  the  marvelous  development  of  the  work  of  the  agricultural  colleges  have 
served  as  an  incentive  to  better  work  in  home  economics,  and  both  agriculture 
and  home  economics  have  steadily  made  perceptible  progress  toward  better 
educational  standards. 


94 

It  has  been  well  for  both  agriculture  and  home  economics  that  their  origin 
and  their  materials  have  kept  them  closely  in  touch  with  the  people  and  so 
keenly  alive  to  their  needs.  The  spirit  which  animated  the  founding  of  the 
land-grant  colleges  was  the  spirit  of  the  development  of  the  individual  that  he 
might  yield  better  service  to  the  nation,  that  so  the  nation's  interests  might  be 
advanced.  So  the  final  outcome  of  either  line  of  work  has  always  meant 
better  homes,  better  citizens.  One  great  factor  in  the  development  of  both  sub- 
jects has  been  the  generous  support  afforded  them  and  the  consequent  freedom 
to  try  experiments  that  required  time  and  money  that  few  private  enterprises 
could  command. 

It  is  evident,  then,  that  in  the  varying  lines  of  work  included  in  the  term 
home  economies  there  is  room  for  a  great  variety  of  agencies  and  very  diverse 
methods  of  procedure.  It  would  also  appear  that  there  yet  remains  to  the  land- 
grant  colleges  and  the  State  universities  the  task  which  was  peculiarly  theirs 
in  the  beginning,  viz,  the  strengthening  and  deepening  of  the  scientific  basis 
in  the  work  in  home  economics.  It  is  theirs  to  determine  the  principles  which 
underlie  processes  with  which  the  world  has  long  been  familiar  and  to  elucidate 
and  interpret  the  newer  phenomena  in  their  relations.  It  is  their  privilege 
to  dignify  labor  by  sending  forth  from  their  halls,  not  farmers,  merely,  and 
cooks,  but  educated  men  and  women,  who.  because  of  their  knowledge  and  skill 
in  the  practices  and  principles  of  the  arts  of  the  home,  shall  be  able  to  use 
them  as  a  means  of  expression  for  their  best  endeavors  in  the  service  of,  others. 

POSSIBILITIES  OF  HOME   ECONOMICS. 

The  possibilities  of  home  economics  are  limited  by — 

(a)   The  resources  of  the  institution. 

(ft)  The  skill  and  tact  of  those  who  plan  and  conduct  the  work. 

(c)   The  attitude  of  those  in  authority  in  the  college. 

When  one  mentions  resources  the  listener  is  apt  to  think  of  the  endowment 
fund  or  the  legislative  appropriation  only.  Few  realize  how  much  of  the  mate- 
rials of  the  work  of  other  departments  can  be  utilized  by  the  department  of 
home  economics  or  how  much  illustrative  material  can  be  secured  from  manu- 
facturers for  the  asking.  As  departments  are  managed  in  land-grant  colleges 
that  of  home  economics  is  not  an  expensive  one  to  equip  or  maintain.  House 
sanitation,  for  example,  can  be  taught  in  any  reputable  college  with  practically 
no  additional  expense.  The  same  is  true  of  chemistry  of  food.  Only  the  other 
day  the  dean  of  women  in  a  small  college  regretted  that  the  college  was 
debarred  from  having  such  a  department  by  the  additional  expense  it  entailed, 
and  I  felt  that  she  did  not  appreciate  how  much  might  be  done  with  the 
resources  already  at  hand  if  utilized,  and  here  may  I  suggest  what  seems  to  me 
is  a  frequent  mistake  in  beginning  such  a  department,  viz,  the  feeling  that 
nothing  can  be  done  until  an  expensive  kitchen  equipment  is  secured.  It  seems 
to  me  that  the  average  girl  in  the  land-grant  college  knows  more  about  the  food 
supply  in  the  home  than  she  does  concerning  the  wise  use  of  color  and  form 
and  fabric  in  it  and  that  much  is  to  be  gained  by  using  the  house,  its  construc- 
tion and  sanitation  as  the  basis  for  the  study  of  home  and  family  life.  The  food 
supply  tnkes  its  place,  then,  as  one  of  the  factors  in  the  home  life  and  work. 
Her  love  of  beauty,  her  sense  of  form  and  color,  the  necessity  of  a  knowledge 
of  fabrics  and  furniture  an;  all  brought  into  use  in  the  furnishing  of  this  house. 
And  all  the  while  the  student  is  helped  to  a  better  appreciation  of  the  meaning 
of  home  and  family. 

With  regard  to  skill,  tact,  and  knowledge  of  those  who  direct  the  work,  out 
of  all  that  might  be  said  on  this  subject  I  prefer  to  select  only  a  few  points 
which  seem  to  me  general  principles.  If  the  field  includes  applied  art.  eco- 
nomics, and  science,  the  need  for  specialists  is  quite  evident.  No  one  individual 
could  be  expected  to  have  sufficient  knowledge.  The  work  of  organization  leaves 
little  time  for  the  research  needed  to  meet  the  questions  that  come  to  such  depart- 
ments daily.  Dietetics  in  these  days  does  not  mean  fads  and  foibles  about  food. 
It  means  the  latest  and  best  information  the  chemist,  physiologist,  and  cook 
can  give  ns  about  the  composition,  preparation,  and  digestion  of  food.  Deco- 
ration does  not  mean  a  little  daubing  of  color  on  china,  but  rather  a  knowledge 
of  the  principles  of  architecture,  art.  and  design,  with  ability  to  portray  color 
and  form.  Henderson  says:  "If  one  does  not  know  where  one  wishes  to  go, 
there  is  small  chance  of  success  in  devising  a  successful  programme  for  getting 
there."    So,  if  one  Is  to  apply  science  one  must  know  pure  science. 


95 

THE  ATTITUDE  OF  THE  COLLEGE  AUTHORITIES. 

It  is  said  that  Boston  is  not  so  much  a  place  as  an  attitude  of  mind.  It  is 
particularly  true  of  home  economics  that  is  attitude  of  mind.  Some  college 
authorities  seem  to  act  on  the  supposition  that  a  thousand-dollar  kitchen  and 
a  two-thousand-dollar  woman  will  insure  a  satisfactory  department.  That  is 
a  serious  mistake.  Within  the  past  month  two  such  women  have  told  me  they 
felt  that  they  were  working  against  a  stone  wall  because  of  the  attitude  of 
their  colaborers.  The  patronizing  smile  and  the  calm  indifference  are  alike 
deadening  to  the  work.  Sympathy,  appreciation,  and  helpful  criticism  are 
needed,  not  "  passing  by  on  the  other  side.''  I  speak  thus  strongly  and  freely 
because  I  have  no  grievances  of  my  own.  No  one  has  had  or  can  have  more 
loyal  and  generous  support  than  has  been  given  to  me  in  the  University  of 
Illinois.  In  conclusion,  then,  it  seems  to  me  yon  as  men  in  authority  in  land- 
grant  colleges  can  best  serve  the  interests  of  home  economics  in  your  institu- 
tions by  protecting  and  improving  those  courses. 

W.  A.  Henry,  of  Wisconsin,  presented  the  following  address : 

The  Agricultural  College  and  the  State  :  A  Plea  for  a  New  Division  of 
College  and  Station  Workers. 

American  agricultural  colleges  and  experiment  stations  became  a  recognized 
force  in  the  decade  beginning  1880.  In  those  days  the  investigator  was  expected 
to  carry  on  researches,  and  the  teacher  instruction  at  the  college.  We  now 
find  the  college  and  station  force  overwhelmed  with  duties  other  than  those 
originally  assigned  them.  We  are  called  on  to  assist  at  agricultural  conventions 
of  all  kinds  and  attend  innumerable  farmers'  institutes.  Our  presence  must  be 
noted  at  the  leading  fairs,  and  the  animal  husbandry  department  must  furnish 
live-stock  judges,  while  those  in  other  departments  place  awards  on  field  and 
garden  products.  The  professors  must  ally  themselves  with  the  agricultural 
papers  and  prepare  answers  to  inquiries  almost  without  end.  It  is  commonly 
held  that  farmers  are  not  letter  writers.  Our  station  workers  are  now  over- 
whelmed with  an  ever-increasing  flood  of  farmers'  letters  calling  for  informa- 
tion and  help  on  every  possible  topic. 

In  the  beginning  we  planned  that  when  the  investigator  had  made  some  dis- 
covery, or  had  worked  known  agricultural  facts  into  more  useful  form,  he  would 
prepare  a  bulletin  setting  forth  these  results,  and.  this  done,  would  go  back  to 
his  original  work  once  more.  But  the  issuance  of  a  useful  bulletin  is  usually 
only  the  beginning.  The  author  must  further  elucidate,  elaborate,  and  explain, 
through  the  press,  on  the  platform,  and  by  letter,  until  often  more  of  his  time 
is  taken  up  by  what  follows  from  a  bulletin  than  was  originally  required  to 
make  it.  Many  of  our  investigators  and  teachers  now  spend  more  time  and 
energy  outside  their  supposed  field  of  effort  than  in  the  work  for  which  they 
were  specially  set  apart. 

Remember,  we  are  not  finding  fault-  with  the  situation.  Our  agricultural 
colleges  have  been  growing  along  the  lines  of  least  resistance  and  grasping  the 
greatest  present  opportunities.  Gradually  the  farmers  have  come  to  use  the 
college  and  its  workers,  who  have  found  that  they  can  often  do  the  most  telling 
work  for  the  time  being  by  deserting  their  laboratories  and  study  rooms  and 
even  their  classes,  and  going  out  to  their  clients.  These  distractions  are. 
after  all.  the  very  best  evidence  possible  of  our  success. 

As  a  remedy  for  the  present  unsatisfactory  situation  I  suggest  that  there  be 
organized  in  every  college  and  station  a  separate  corps  of  workers  whose  sole 
duty  shall  be  to  serve  as  intermediaries  between  the  college  and  station  on  the 
one  hand  and  our  great  farm  clientage  on  the  other.  They  will  relieve  the  in- 
vestigators and  teachers  of  a  large  portion  of  their  present  extra  college  and 
station  duties.  High-grade  research  and  the  best  quality  of  class-room  in- 
struction will  then,  and  only  then,  be  possible.  With  this  corps  of  specially 
trained  middlemen  our  colleges  and  stations  will  serve  the  farmers  far  better 
than  is  now  possible.  To  my  mind  there  is  no  other  way  to  relieve  the  present 
strained  conditions  and  at  the  same  time  help  our  farmer  clients  as  we  should 
help  them  in  their  ever-increasing  demands  upon  us. 

I  would  not  have  our  high-grade  workers  entirely  withdraw  themselves  from 
the  people ;  that  would  be  almost  as  unsatisfactory  as  the  present  system.  My 
thought  is  rather  that  we  relieve  them  of  the  thousand  and  one  minor  details 

26140— No.  184—07  m 7 


96 

which  they  now  carry  and  let  them  go  outside  their  regular  duties  only  at  such 
times  as  may  seem  best. 

What  should  be  the  character  of  those  employed  as  extension  workers  and 
demonstrators':  They  should  be  men  who  will  get  in  close  touch  with  the  farm- 
ing class,  baving  special  ability  to  combine  science  with  practice.  They  will 
take  up  systematically  the  numerous  miscellaneous  things  now  forced  upon 
our  investigators  and  teachers,  doing  this  work  far  better  than  it  is  now  done, 
because  it  will  be  their  sole  work,  and  their  reputation  hangs  thereon. 

A   few    illustrations: 

In  States  strong  in  dairying  the  extension  workers  could  conduct  monthly 
butter  and  cheese  scoring  tests  at  the  dairy  school.  Factory  operators  would 
send  samples  of  their  butter  and  cheese  at  stated  intervals,  and  the  findings 
of  the  judges  would  be  reported  back  to  the  makers.  Some  colleges  are  doing 
just  this  at  the  present  time,  and  as  a  rule  there  it  ends.  It  is  cut  short  be- 
cause the  college  men  are  too  busy  to  carry  it  further.  When  we  have  a  special 
corps  of  extension  workers  one  or  more  will  go  out  to  these  factories  where 
poor  butter  is  made,  study  the  cause,  and  point  out  the  remedy.  If  unable  to 
do  so,  they  will  take  the  trouble  to  the  higher  station  authorities  for  assistance. 
Here  we  have  a  case  of  how  a  piece  of  work  now  usually  only  half  done  by 
some  of  our  dairy  schools  will  then  be  well  and  helpfully  done. 

Bovine  tuberculosis  is  a  scourge,  menacing  producer  and  consumer  of  dairy 
products.  Our  people  should  be  quickly  educated  concerning  this  dread  plague. 
A^few  of  our  colleges  are  doing  something  in  this  line,  but  in  a  slow,  unsatis- 
factory way.  We  need  demonstrators  whose  sole  business  it  will  be  to  con- 
duct a  vigorous  campaign.  These  men  will  secure  tuberculous  cattle  and 
exhibit  them  alive  at  gatherings  of  the  farmers,  such  as  the  State  and  county 
fairs.  The  assembled  crowds  will  first  see  the  living  diseased  animals  and 
then  witness  the  post-mortem  examination.  If  this  work  is  properly  and  ex- 
tensively done  over  a  whole  State,  somewhat  as  here  described,  we  can  accom- 
plish more  in  a  year  toward  driving  out  bovine  tuberculosis  than  we  are  now 
doing  with  bulletins  and  platform  lectures  in  twenty  years. 

Another  illustration :  Some  of  our  stations  have  issued  bulletins  on  potato 
spraying.  They  have  been  doing  so  for  years.  In  how  many  potato  districts 
are  the  farmers  generally  actually  following  the  instructions?  Under  our  pro- 
posed system  the  demonstrators  will  put  spraying  machines  into  many  potato 
districts  in  one  season.  They  will  hold  advertised  meetings  in  the  potato 
fields  at  spraying  time.  The  farmers  will  assemble  to  witness  the  work  of 
the  machines.  They  will  see  Bordeaux  mixture  made  in  quantity  and  applied 
practically.  At  digging  time  they  will  come  back  to  be  shown  the  difference 
in  yield  between  sprayed  and  unsprayed  portions  of  the  field.  Compare  the 
effectiveness  of  such  work  with  reading  a  bulletin,  received  perhaps  in  winter 
time,  or  listening  to  the  college  professor  on  the  institute  platform. 

Instead  of  newspaper  articles,  station  bulletins,  and  institute  talks  about 
good  roads,  why  not  detail  a  demonstrator  to  have  a  lot  of  drags  made  and 
arrange  with  proper  parties  at  various  points  in  the  State  to  keep  short  sections 
of  properly  made  earth  roads  in  good  repair  by  use  of  the  drags?  Have  we  not 
talked,  written,  and  resolved  long  enough  about  our  country  roads?  Should 
we  not  teach  by  example  instead  of  talk? 

These  illustrations  are  given  not  to  cover  the  field  of  opportunity,  but  rather 
to  point  out  a  few  things  possible  to  accomplish,  and  especially  to  show  the 
vital  difference  between  our  present  imperfect  system  of  helping  our  farmers 
and  future  possibilities  when  we  have  properly  organized  extension  and  demon- 
stration work. 

These  extension  workers  could  conduct  most  of  the  college  and  station  cor- 
respondence, help  at  institutes,  aid  with  special  railway  lecture  trains,  arrange 
excursions  to  the  college,  care  for  visitors,  keep  the  college  and  station  work 
before  the  public  through  the  press,  and  in  ways  innumerable  relieve  the  pres- 
ent force,  giving  our  constituents  far  more  extended  and  efficient  service  than 
they  are  qow  receiving. 

But.  you  say.  we  are  doing  these  very  things  now.  Yes.  each  college  is  doing 
some  of  them,  and  all  combined  are.  after  a  fashion,  doing  all  of  them.  But, 
my  friends,  are  these  extra  college  and  station  duties  being  attended  to  as 
they  should  be.  and  are  we  conducting  research  and  college  instruction  as  we 
should?  Can  one  professor  conduct  research,  teach  college  classes,  lecture  at 
formers'  institutes,  attend  State  conventions,  go  out  among  the  farmers  and 
show  them  how  to  combine  science  with  practice,  write  newspaper  articles, 
and  do  many  other  things,  each  and  all  wisely  and  efficiently?    A  manufactur- 


97 

ing  corporation  employs  workmen,  inventors,  designers,  draftsmen,  pattern 
makers,  office  force,  and  lastly,  but  not  least,  a  corps  of  commercial  travelers, 
whose  sole  business  it  is  to  advertise  and  place  the  manufactured  articles  with 
the  customers.  The  commercial  traveler  or  middleman  is  of  the  greatest  use- 
fulness in  the  industrial  world ;  it  is  time  we  recognized  the  necessity  of  the 
same  factor  in  our  college  and  station  work. 

It  is  now  forty  years  since  the  passage  of  the  first  Morrill  Act  by  the  General 
Government  making  provision  for  agricultural  education.  Since  then  three 
other  grants  have  followed  for  agricultural  instruction  and  research.  The  last 
gift — the  Adams  grant — is  specially  guarded  that  original  research  shall  be 
advanced.  The  wording  of  the  act  shuts  out  demonstration  and  extension ;  we 
must  use  the  money  for  research.  All  this  is  a  roundabout  way  taken  by  those 
in  high  authority  of  telling  the  several  States  of  the  Union  that  it  is  now  for 
them  to  supplement  the  Government  gifts  with  liberal  State  allowances  to  our 
colleges  for  helping  our  farmer  constituents  to  a  knowledge  of  the  work  of  the 
stations  and  training  them  in  the  higher  principles  and  practices  of  agriculture. 
The  very  acceptance  of  the  Adams  Act  by  a  State,  in  my  judgment,  lays  an 
obligation  on  the  State  so  accepting  that  it  back  up  and  support  with  liberal 
allowance  the  Government  gift.  I  hold,  then,  that  each  institution  receiving 
the  Adams  grant  should,  without  delay,  appeal  to  its  State  government  for  at 
least  a  duplication  of  the  sum  it  will  receive  through  that  act.  Fifteen  thou- 
sahd  dollars  annually  is  none  too  much  to  start  extension  and  demonstration 
work ;  more  will  soon  be  required. 

I  estimate  that  such  helpers  as  we  need  in  this  extension  and  demonstration 
will  cost  from  $800  to  $2,000  each,  annually,  for  salary,  while  necessary  expenses 
and  equipment  will  equal  their  salaries.  Fifteen  thousand  dollars  will  allow 
the  employment  of  five  or  six  men  in  the  extension  and  demonstration  depart- 
ment and  support  them  properly. 

Remember,  under  the  proposed  plan  these  men  are  not  to  teach,  they  are  not 
to  conduct  research,  nor  are  they  to  assist  directly  those  who  do.  They  are  to 
be  strictly  extension  workers  and  demonstrators.  We  can  appeal  to  those  in 
authority  for  this  financial  assistance,  for  these  men  are  to  devote  themselves  to 
the  great  and  important  work  of  bringing  the  college  and  station  to  the  farmer. 
They  are  to  constitute  the  one  great  link  now  lacking,  which  will  bind  us  to  the 
people  we  serve.  Surely,  in  view  of  four  great  gifts  by  the  Government,  the 
States  we  serve  will  not  refuse  us  this  request. 

A.  B.  Storms,  of  Iowa,  presented  the  following  address : 

The   Relation    Between    the    Land-Grant    Colleges    and    the    Mechanical 

Industries.     • 

The  relation  between  the  mechanic  arts  and  a  college  of  mechanic  arts  must, 
in  the  nature  of  the  case,  be  important  if  the  college  is  to  fulfill  its  obvious 
functions  and  if  the  mechanic  arts  are  to  derive  from  the  college  direction  and 
assistance.  At  the  risk  of  wearisome  iteration.  I  must  quote  for  my  text  section 
4  of  the  act  of  Congress  establishing  an  endowment  for  the  "  support  and  mainte- 
nance of  at  least  one  college  where  the  leading  object  shall  be.  without  excluding 
other  scientific  and  classical  studies,  and  including  military  tactics,  to  teach  such 
branches  of  learning  as  are  related  to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,  in  such 
manner  as  the  legislature  of  the  State  may  provide,  in  order  to  promote  the 
liberal  and  practical  education  of  the  industrial  classes  in  the  several  pursuits 
and  professions  of  life."  The  land-grant  colleges  were  therefore  organized 
expressly  for  the  benefit  of  the  industrial  classes  of  the  United  States,  this  being 
very  strongly,  broadly,  and  fully  worded  in  this  act,  which  forms  the  organic  law 
of  each  of  these  institutions.  Experience  since  the  organization  of  the  land- 
grant  colleges  has  shown  that  they  can  aid  the  industrial  classes  to  advantage 
in  many  other  ways  than  by  the  giving  of  instruction  to  the  students  present  at 
the  institutions.  One  of  the  most  important  spheres  of  work  which  has  de- 
veloped has  been  the  conducting  of  scientific  researches  of  direct  aid  to  the  indus- 
tries of  the  different  States.  The  present  age  is  one. of  applied  science.  This 
era  will  be  known  in  history  as  the  age  of  science.  Satisfactory  progress  in 
all  industries  is  increasingly  dependent  upon  scientific  research  of  such  a 
nature  that  it  can  not  be  properly  carried  out  by  private  persons  or  in  private 
laboratories. 


98 

The  agricultural  experiment  stations  have  been  the  direct  answer  by  the  Gov- 
ernment to  the  pressing,  modern  demand  for  help  in  the  way  of  scientific 
research  in  agricultural  industries.  In  this  way  the  original  purpose  of  the 
land-grant  college  has  been  extended  by  Government  action  to  more  direct 
assistance  of  agricultural  industries  and  with  most  beneficial  results. 

In  a  broad  sense,  the  students  in  actual  attendance  at  the  land-grant  colleges 
are  but  the  nucleus  of  the  college  constituency.  The  entire  industrial  classes 
are  more  or  less  widely  and  helpfully  under  its  influence.  The  bulletins  giving 
the  results  of  the  researches  conducted  by  the  experiment  stations  are  scattered 
throughout  each  State  and  make  these  results  valuable  to  all  the  people  of  the 
States  by  special  instruction,  college  extension  work,  articles  contributed  to  the 
public  press,  by  assistance  of  the  faculty  in  conducting  institutes  and  technical 
meetings.  The  land-grant  colleges  are  immediately  instructive  to  the  entire 
public. 

Very  slight  reflection  must  show  that  this  experimentation,  which  has  been 
so  very  beneficial  to  the  agricultural  industries,  must  be  of  still  greater  benefit 
when  extended  to  the  mechanical  industries  of  the  State.  At  Ames  we  were 
receiving  constant  demands  for  assistance  from  the  various  mechanical  indus- 
tries of  Iowa.  We  were  aide  to  be  of  material  benefit  to  them  by  results  of  the 
investigation  work  carried  on  at  our  college.  An  engineering  experiment  sta- 
tion was  the  only  logical  answer  to  the  call  of  the  mechanical  industries  for 
help  in  maintaining  their  place  in  the  race  for  supremacy  in  the  industrial 
world  by  making  available  every  assistance  which  science  could  afford.  New- 
industries  are  calling  for  scientific  aid  in  their  development,  and  old  industries 
for  their  improvement.  In  Iowa  manufacturing  industries  are  as  yet  in  their 
infancy.  Iowa  may  serve  as  an  example  of  some  of  the  lines  in  which  a  land- 
grant  college  may  be  called  upon  to  assist  the  mechanical  industries.  Raw 
materials  are  shipped  out  of  the  State  to  far-distant  factories  and  returned  to 
be  sold  to  the  population  at  enormously  increased  prices.  The  cost  of  transpor- 
tation in  both  directions  is  properly  considered  an  unnecessary  burden  upon  the 
public. 

The  engineering  experiment  station  has  recently  been  established  by  act  of  the 
State  legislature,  and  a  small  annual  appropriation  made  for  its  maintenance. 
As  with  most  legislation  of  this  kind  this  act  was  the  result  of  a  felt  need  which 
had  been  aroused,  directed,  and  organized  by  the  cooperation  of  the  college 
engineering  division  and  the  mechanical  industries  of  the  State.  In  general, 
legislatures  are  not  looking  for  an  opportunity  to  appropriate  money.  If  they 
see  a  new  light  it  has  to  be  persistently  held  before  their  eyes,  rightly  focused, 
and  then  their  eyelids  have  to  be  pried  open.  And  yet  it  may  be  questioned 
whether  any  appropriation  or  appropriations  made  by  State  legislatures  yield 
such  immediate  and  substantial  pecuniary  benefits  as  those  made  for  agricul- 
tural and  mechanical  experimentation. 

But  the  appropriation  itself  is  a  minor  factor.  No  amount  of  money  appro- 
priated for  experimentation  would  ever  accomplish  anything  of  value  except 
there  were  men  in  the  college  faculties  possessing  the  spirit  of  research  and 
combining  with  this  spirit  a  very  genuine  interest  in  the  industrial  benefits  to 
be  derived  from  the  applications  of  science  to  the  industries. 

It  is  due  to  the  possession  of  this  spirit  combined  with  characteristic  energy 
and  resourcefulness  on  the  part  of  Professors  Marston  and  Bissell,  dean  and 
vice-dean  of  our  division  of  engineering  in  Iowa  State  College,  and  other 
colaborers ;  Associate  Professor  Meeker,  in  mechanical  engineering;  Prof.  S.  W. 
Beyer,  in  mining  engineering  and  geology ;  Prof.  L.  B.  Spinney,  in  electrical 
engineering  and  physics;  Associate  Professor  Ashbaugh,  in  civil  engineering, 
and  their  able  and  enthusiastic  assistants  in  their  various  departments,  and  to 
the  investigations  and  experimentation  which  these  men  inaugurated  and  carried 
on  before  any  provision  was  made  by  the  State  for  the  support  of  this  work, 
that  an  an  engineering  experiment  station  became  a  logical  and  practically 
necessary  outcome. 

Several  years  ago  Professor  Marston  made  this  statement  in  his  report : 

"The  several  engineering  departments  have  undertaken  during  the  past  ten 
years  and  will  continue  in  the  future  to  undertake  to  carry  on  investigations 
of  interest  and  value  to  the  industries  of  Iowa,  as  need  therefor  may  arise,  in 
so  far  as  the  funds  available  will  permit." 

"Up  to  the  present  time."  be  says,  "much  has  been  done  along  the  lines  of 
sewage  disposal  and  other  phases  of  sanitary  engineering,  of  clay  working  and 
coal  mining,  of  electric  lighting  and  telephone  work,  of  gypsum  and  other 
mineral  deposits,  and  of  power  generation  and  transmission. 


99 

"While  Iowa  is  primarily  an  agricultural  State,  the  needs  of  modern  life 
prompt  to  the  development  to  the  full  of  all  natural  resources,  and  the  division 
of  engineering  wishes  to  aid  in  every  way  in  this  development. 

"  Owing  to  the  lack  of  funds,  the  aid  thus  freely  offered  is  limited.  It  is 
hoped  that  this  limitation  can  he  removed  in  the  not  distant  future  and  that  the 
college  will  have  as  a  feature  of  its  work  ail  engineering  experiment  station." 

The  annual  appropriation  has  now  been  secured,  which,  though  of  very  small 
amount,    gives    recognition    to    an    established    engineering    experiment   station. 
Already  bulletins  have  been  issued  upon  the  following  subjects ; 
.     Tests  of  Dry-Pressed  Brick. 

Steam  Generation  with  Iowa  Coal. 

Dredging  by  the  Hydraulic  Method. 

Iowa  Sewage-Disposal  Systems. 

Good  Roads  Problems  in  Iowa. 

The  Assessment  of  Drainage  Districts. 

Tests  of  Cement. 

Tests  of  Incandescent  Lamps. 

Railway  Taxation. 

The  investigations  which  have  resulted  in  these  bulletins  have  been  conducted 
by  men  trained  to  scientific  accuracy,  and  their  conclusions  have  authority.  It 
is  understood  that  the  men  conducting  these  experiments  and  giving  forth*  their 
results  are  and  can  be  influenced  by  no  other  consideration  than  the  desire  for 
the  truth  and,  as  servants  of  the  public,  to  give  forth  accurate  and  truthful 
results.  The  college  therefore  enjoys  a  degree  of  public  confidence  which  a 
private  laboratory  or  merely  professional  service  could  with  difficulty  secure. 
The  reputation  of  the  men  responsible  for  these  investigations  and  the  charac- 
ter of  the  institution  are  at  stake,  and  these  constitute  the  highest  safeguards 
against  carelessness  or  the  influence  of  unworthy  motives. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  nature  of  the  work  undertaken  and  the  results 
secured,  the  latest  bulletin  to  be  issued  may  be  cited  in  evidence,  viz.  Tests 
of  Incandescent  Lamps,  prepared  by  Prof.  L.  B.  Spinney.  An  extended  series 
of  tests  were  conducted  to  determine  first  the  initial  candle  and  wattage  test, 
life  test,  candlepower-hour  test,  and  vacuum  test.  The  tables  giving  the  results 
of  these  tests  upon  various  makes  of  incandescent  lamps  are  published.  It  is 
obviously  very  difficult,  and  for  the  most  part  impossible,  for  private  firms  and 
corporations  furnishing  electric  light  or  private  consumers  to  conduct  such  tests 
for  themselves.  Yet  the  importance  of  accurate  and  definite  information  is 
obvious.  The  conclusions  of  this  particular  series  of  tests  are  evidence  of  the 
importance  of  the  subject.     These  conclusions,  in  brief,  are  as  follows  : 

(1)  There  is  a  wide  variation  in  the  incandescent  lamps  to  be  found  upon  the 
market — (a)  in  selection.  (&)  in  actual  candlepower,  (c)  in  actual  wattage,  (d) 
in  vacuum  (and  therefore  in  life,  since,  other  things  being  equal,  a  low  vacuum 
indicates  a  short  life),  (e)  in  "spherical  reduction  factor,"  i.  e.,  the  ratio  of 
the  mean  spherical  to  the  mean  horizontal  candlepower. 

(2)  About  62  per  cent  of  commercial  16-candlepower  lamps  are  well  selected. 

(3)  About  76  per  cent  of  commercial  incandescent  lamps  are  properly 
exhausted. 

At  my  request  Professor  Bissell  submits  the  following  outline  of  work  done 
in  the  department  of  mechanical  engineering  experimentation,  recently  com- 
pleted or  now  in  progress  : 

"  Our  principal  efforts  of  late  years  have  been  confined  to  throwing  light 
upon  the  subject  of  the  generation  of  power  from  Iowa  coals,  or  coals  which 
are  available  in  Iowa.  To  this  end  we  have  investigated  by  experiment  the 
behavior  of  various  Iowa  coals  when  hand  fired  and  when  fired  by  mechanical- 
stokers.  I  think  we  have  demonstrated  that  it  is  possible  to  get  good  results 
with  mechanical  stokers  using  Iowa  coals,  but  we  are  not  yet  prepared  to  say 
whether  or  not  there  is  a  saving  in  the  use  of  the  stoker.  There  is  no  question, 
however,  but  that  the  use  of  the  stoker  reduces  materially  the  amount  of  smoke 
generated  by  the  combustion  of  Iowa  soft  coals. 

"  We  have  investigated  the  subject  of  producer  gas  for  power  to  the  extent 
of  making  an  extensive  test  on  a  150-horsepower  plant  at  Algona,  in  this 
State,  in  which  producer  gas  was  made  from  ordinary  hard  coal  and  delivered 
to  a  gas  engine  designed  for  utilizing  it.  The  results  are  valuable  as  showing 
the  capability  of  the  gas  engine  when  used  in  this  way  in  competition  with  the 
steam  engine  using  soft  coal.  The  exact  saving  would  depend  upon  the  prices 
of  the  coal  in  question  for  a  particular  case. 


100 

"A  large  amount  of  work  has  been  done  with  regard  to  the  values  of  different 
fuels  by  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  and  some  of  the  more  important 
results  obtained  by  them  aa  applying  to  Iowa  fuels  have  been  presented  in  bulle- 
tin form  under  the  title  "Notes  on  Power  Generation  in  Iowa.'  in  which  are 
incorporated  also  the  data  recently  collected  by  us  pertaining  to  mechanical 
stokers  and  producer  gas  engines. 

"  We  propose  during  the  present  college  year  to  make  a  direct  comparison  on 
the  250-horsepower  water-tube  boiler,  hand  bred,  and  a  -precisely  similar  boiler 
equipped  with  a  mechanical  stoker.  The  conditions  are  more  favorable  for  an 
exact  comparison  than  any  which  we  have  as  yet  been  able  to  create. 

"  Other  lines  of  investigation  to  which  some  attention  has  been  given  and  the 
results  of  which  have  been  published  are  as  follows:  Efficiency  of  steam-pipe 
covering,  the  results  of  which  are  given  in  Bulletin,  vol.  3,  No.  5,  being  compiled 
from  thesis  data  by  Prof.  W.  M.  Wilson.  The  general  conclusions  from  the  in- 
formation presented  in  this  bulletin  are  that  it  pays  to  apply  pipe  covering.  Up 
to  a  certain  point  the  saving,  taking  into  account  the  fixed  charges,  is  propor- 
tional to  the  efficiency  of  the  covering,  but  when  it  becomes  necessary  to  double 
the  thickness  of  the  covering  it  is  questionable  whether  at  ordinary  steam 
pressure  the  saving  in  fuel  is  equal  to  the  additional  annual  fixed  charges. 

"Other  lines  of  investigation  are  shop  methods  employed  in  the  manufac- 
turing establishments  of  Iowa  ;  the  properties  of  liquid  fuel ;  the  deposits  of  peat 
in  Iowa  :  and  the  prospects  of  developing  the  same  into  a  useful  fire  asset,  and 
the  relative  values  of  the  different  designs  of  hot-water  radiators." 

And  from  Professor  Beyer,  in  geology  and  mining  engineering,  the  following 
outline: 

"  Regarding  the  relation  of  the  department  of  mining  engineering  and  geology 
to  the  industrial  interests  of  the  State  permit  me  to  say  that  the  department  is 
called  upon  : 

"(1)  To  aid  in  the  discovery  of  new  natural  resources  and  to  assist  in  the 
establishment  of  new  industries  to  utilize  them. 

"(2)  To  assist  established  industries  to  enlarge  and  better  the  quality  of 
their  output. 

"(3)    To  assist  in  extending  the  usefulness  of  natural  products  already  known. 

"(4)  To  analyze  and  identify  minerals,  ores,  and  rocks  sent  in  by  citizens  of 
the  State  and  pass  upon  their  economic  value  and  commercial  possibilities. 

"(5)    To  identify  fossils  and  other  natural  curios. 

"(6)  To  furnish  young  men  who  are  prepared  to  assume  positions  of  respon- 
sibility in  the  mines  and  ceramic  industries. 

"  During  the  past  two  years  the  energies  of  the  department  have  been  devoted 
in  considerable  part  to  the  discovery  and  investigation  of  materials  suitable  for 
the  manufacture  of  Portland  cement:  to  an  investigation  of  our  domestic  limes 
and  foreign  competing  limes  and  materials  suitable  for  lime  making:  to  an  in- 
vestigation of  clays  and  shales  to  determine  their  suitability  for  the  various 
kinds  of  clay  wares.  The  department  has  under  way  at  the  present  time  a 
series  of  experiments  to  throw  light  upon  calcining  temperature  and  keeping 
quality  of  the  gypsum  plasters. 

41  Under  4  and  5  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  department  is  called  upon  to 
determine  more  than  one  hundred  samples  per  year. 

"  Last  and  by  no  means  least,  there  is  a  growing  demand  in  the  State  for 
technically  trained  young  men." 

In  addition  to  what  Professor  Beyer  has  said,  I  might  add  that  the  demands 
for  tests  of  gypsum,  limestone,  and  clays  are  so  urgent  and  such  keen  interest 
exists  concerning  these  resources  that  the  department  is  embarrassed.  Large 
investments  of  capital  are  at  this  moment  waiting  only  the  word  of  encourage- 
ment from  this  department  concerning  the  quality  of  the  raw  material.  In  the 
nature  of  the  cast  these  investigations  must  be  most  carefully  conducted  and 
the  samples  of  material  faithfully  selected.  But  the  results  may  also  be  definite 
and  quite  conclusive  if  conducted  by  men  who  are  familiar  not  only  with  the 
laboratory  and  with  the  scientific  analysis,  but  also  with  the  modifying  condi- 
tions such  as  locality,  water  and  fuel  supplies,  and  transportation  fatalities. 

In  still  another  line  of  investigation  the  transportation  interests  of  the  State 
are  being  studied.  The  college  has  been  making  investigations  and  has  had  a 
series  of  lectures  on  railway  questions  by  experts,  these  lectures  being  repro- 
duced for  the  benefit  of  the  general  public: 

Public  highways  of  the  State  are  under  the  direct  care  of  the  college,  which 
is.  by  law.  the  State  highway  commission.  Very  extensive  work  has  been  in- 
augurated in  this  line.  The  road  officers  call  upon  the  proper  college  depart- 
ment for  plans  and  specifications  for  their  work  and  have  assistance  in  many 


101 

ways.  The  college  conducts  a  good-roads  school  for  the  benefit  of  these  officers 
and  disseminates  extensive  information  on  good  roads  subjects.  It  has,  with 
the  aid  of  the  State  census  officers,  conducted  the  first  road  census-ever  under- 
taken in  any  State. 

In  civil  engineering,  the  department  over  which  Dean  Marston  formerly 
presided,  as  most  of  you  know,  very  valuable  original  investigations  have  been 
made  with  reference  to  sewage  disposal,  a  part  of  the  results  of  which  are 
gathered  in  the  bulletin  on  Sewage  Disposal  in  Iowa.  For  years  these  inves- 
tigations in  sewage  disposal  have  been  systematically  carried  on.  Each  year 
a  representative  of  the  engineering  experiment  station  visits  each  of  the  dis- 
posal plants  in  the  State,  making  chemical  and  bacteriological  tests  of  their 
efficiency.  From  time  to  time  bulletins  will  be  published  on  this  subject.  Per- 
haps in  no  respect  is  this  kind  of  service  more  important  than  in  developing 
a  civic  conscience  upon  sanitary  questions.  No  sanitary  plant  is  automatic 
and  no  system  of  sewage  disposal  can  work  with  satisfactory  results  when 
subjected  to  neglect  by  ignorant  and  careless  civic  officials.  The  value  of 
scientific  instruction — the  urging  of  municipalities  to  conscientious  and  scien- 
tific care  of  sewage  disposal  is  by  no  means  the  least  important  result  of  such 
instruction. 

Water  supply  is  another  important  question.  The  experiment  station  has  a 
laboratory  which  makes,  at  the  bare  cost  of  the  work,  chemical  and  bacterio- 
logical analyses  of  the  water  sent  to  it. 

Building  materials  of  the  State  are  tested  by  the  engineering  experiment 
station,  the  results  being  published  in  bulletin  form.  The  laboratories  of  the 
experiment  station  are  open  to  the  citizens  and  corporations  of  the  State  for  the 
testing  of  different  materials.  Cement,  paving  brick,  building  materials,  etc., 
are  tested  and  reported  upon  promptly  for  the  bare  cost  of  the  work. 

Though  most  of  our  work  is  as  yet  in  the  initial  stages  only,  the  opportuni- 
ties are  limitless.  Yet  most  cordial  appreciation  has  been  shown  by  the  people 
of  the  State  and  intimate  relations  are  maintained  between  the  college  and  the 
different  industrial  organizations.  In  several  instances  professors  of  the  college 
are  elected  officers  of  these  organizations,  and  almost  always  important  places 
on  programmes  of  the  annual  meetings  of  the  industrial  associations  are  assigned 
to  members  of  the  college  faculty. 

In  this  paper  I  have  spoken  of  the  work  in  our  own  State  without  referring 
to  the  extensive  and  important  work  being  carried  forward  by  the  engineering 
experiment  station  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  nor  have  I  sought  to  inform 
myself  in  detail  as  to  similar  work  in  other  institutions,  presuming  it  would 
better  suit  the  purpose  of  this  hour  to  give  definite  information  concerning  the 
work  actually  being  carried  forward  in  one  institution.  Nor  have  I  sought 
to  dwell  upon  the  obvious  fact  that  the  time  has  come  when  the  resources  of 
the  country  must  be  handled  in  accordance  with  the  approved  methods  of 
applied  science.  How  bristling  and  inviting  are  the  unanswered  questions  and 
the  unsolved  problems  all  about  us  is  strikingly  evidenced  by  such  addresses 
and  papers  as  those  given  by  Professor  Voorhees  in  the  issue  of  "  Science " 
for  September  28.  entitled  "  Some  Problems  for  Agricultural  Chemists,"  and 
in  the  address  of  Calvin  Milton  Woodard  before  the  American  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Science,  December.  1904.  in  which  he  speaks  of  the  pressing 
problems  concerning  the  utilization  of  waste  energy,  concerning  the  establish- 
ment of  artificial  centers  of  power,  the  purification  of  rivers,  and  concerning 
the  use  of  steel,  concrete,  and  cement.  Concerning  the  artificial  centers  of 
power,  Professor  Woodard  utters  the  following  prophecy : 

"  I  look  forward  to  the  day  when,  instead  of  a  small  volcano  of  smoke  from 
a  brick  crater  above  every  house,  St.  Louis  will  have  all  its  heating  and  cooking 
done  by  gas.  and  all  power  will  be  furnished  by  electric  currents,  or  by  gas 
and  combustion  engines,  both  gas  and  electricity  coming  from  the  gas  works 
and  power  plants  at  the  mouths  of  the  coal  mines  in  Illinois.  What  an  era  of 
cleanliness  and  comfort  this  presages !  This  era  of  cleanliness  will  be  brought 
about  by  the  engineers." 

If  the  engineers  of  the  schools  in  cooperation  with  the  practicing  professional 
engineers  can  achieve  this  result  alone,  they  will  have  earned  the  everlasting 
gratitude  of  a  catarrh-cursed,  smoke-besmudged  race  of  mortals,  trying  their 
best  to  penetrate  the  overhanging  gloom  to  the  blue  sky,  and  overtaxing  memory 
and  imagination  in  trying  to  recall  the  bright  sunshine  of  country  boyhood 
homes  and  the  pure  air  of  the  woods  and  the  prairies,  under  the  blunt  stimulus 
of  yellow  streaks  of  dirty  light  that  filter  through  continuous  clouds  of  coal 
smoke  and  the  bitter  tang  of  winter  winds  that  blacken  as  well  as  bite. 


102 
Afternoon  Session.  Friday,  November  16,  1906. 

The  section  convened  at  the  close  of  the  general  session  at' 12.15  and,  on 
motion,  the  address  by  Dean  C.  F.  Cnrtiss,  of  Iowa,  on  "  The  short  practical 
course,  its  place  and  importance  in  the  land-grant  college,"  and  the  address 
of  Dean  Eugene  Davenport,  of  Illinois,  on  "Agricultural  extension  in  the  land- 
grant  colleges,"  which  were  still  on  the  programme  of  the  college  section, 
were  postponed  until  the  next  annual  session  of  the  association,  and  the  secre- 
tary was  instructed  to  provide  for  them  on  the  programme  for  next  year. 

The  section  then  adjourned  sine  die. 


SECTION  ON  EXPERIMENT  STATION  WORK. 


Af^ternoon  Session,  Wednesday,  November  14,  1906. 

The  section  was  called  to  order  at  2.15  p.  m.,  P>.  C.  Buffum,  of  Wyoming,  in 
the  chair. 

Kind  and  Chakacter  of  Work  Under  the  Adams  Act. 

A.  C.  True,  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations.  Your  call  upon  me  to  open 
this  question  is  rather  unexpected.  I  came  to  this  convention  very  largely  to 
learn  more  concerning  it  myself.  The  Adams  Act  aims  to  he  quite  definite  in 
its  provisions  regarding  the  kind  of  work  which  is  allowed  under  that  act.  It 
must  be,  according  to  the  terms  of  the  act,  original  in  its  character,  and  it  must 
be  research  or  experiment.  It  must  have  a  direct  bearing  on  the  agriculture  of 
the  United  States.  It  must  have  due  regard  to  the  conditions  in  the  several 
States.  Among  the  first  things  which  must  be  determined  is  what  is  original 
research  or  experiment — and  that  is  the  thing  around  which  thus  far  the  dis- 
cussion has  most  frequently  arisen.  Now,  so  far  as  the  Office  of  Experiment 
Stations  is  concerned,  this  matter  came  to  a  head  rather  abruptly,  and  we  have 
been  obliged  to  proceed  with  it.  And  we  have  tried  to  make  a  practical  decision 
of  the  questions  brought  to  us.  At  the  same  time,  we  recognize  most  clearly 
that  it  is  a  difficult  matter  to  define  original  research  in  the  different  depart- 
ments of  science,  and  particularly  difficult  to  do  so  in  such  a  complex  science 
as  agriculture.  And  so  we  have  tried  to  get  the  advice  of  such  persons  as 
seemed  to  us  ought  to  be  fairly  competent  to  give  us  advice  on  that  subject,  and 
we  have  come  to  this  association  meeting  in  the  hope  that  from  the  discussions 
here  further  light  will  be  thrown  on  it.  The  great  difficulty,  as  I  take  it,  grows 
out  of  the  fact  that  the  science  of  agriculture  is  so  very  new  and  has  been  to 
such  a  limited  extent  formulated  in  a  definite  and  systematic  way.  So  that 
while  we  have  a  large  body  of  literature  on  the  subject  which  is  fairly  in- 
cluded in  agricultural  science,  those  publications  are,  for  the  most  part,  of 
quite  a  fragmentary  character,  and  it  is  difficult  to  get  together  the  full  body 
of  knowledge  which  we  have  acquired  in  any  particular  branch  of  agriculture 
and  determine  in  a  concrete  way  what  has  been  done  already  and  what  re- 
mains to  be  done. 

This  is  not  a  matter  peculiar  to  agriculture,  as  I  understand  it.  Since  the 
passage  of  the  Adams  Act  we  have  taken  occasion  to  confer  with  the  president 
of  the  Carnegie  Institution,  who,  as  you  know,  is  a  man  having  long  experience 
as  a  scientist  and  has  been  dealing  with  scientific  matters  for  many  years  in 
a  general  way.  He  has  now  come  to  a  position  where  he  must  determine  what  is 
original  scientific  research  in  many  lines.  He  has  stated  publicly,  and  has 
confirmed  his  public  statement  by  private  expressions,  that  the  Carnegie  Insti- 
tution in  considering  these  matters  has  had  considerable  difficulty  in  getting 
before  it  definite,  clear  propositions  for  research.     And  the  difficulty  in  deciding 

(103) 


104 

as  to  the  exact  character  of  these  propositions  as  regards  their  originality  is  in 
proportion  to  the  newness  of  the  science.  In  the  older  sciences,  such  as  as- 
tronomy and  physics,  the  body  of  truth  already  collected  has  heen  so  definitely 
worked  out  that  the  men  working  along  those  lines  have  a  fairly  clear  con- 
ception of  what  is  already  done  and  also  of  what  ought  to  he  done,  so  that 
when  they  make  propositions  for  research  they  make  them  in  a  clear  and 
definite  way.  whereas  in  the  newer  sciences  the  subject-matter  has  not  heen 
sufficiently  defined  to  enable  the  men  working  in  those  lines  to  bring  forward 
definite,  clear  propositions  for  original  investigations.  So  that  if  we  find  some 
difficulty  in  regard  to  agricultural  subjects  we  need  not  be  at  all  surprised. 
While  that  is  true,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  only  way  in  which  we  can  make 
definite  progress  in  this  direction  is  to  have  careful  consideration  given  to  the 
matter  and  serious  thought  and  study  put  upon  the  classification  of  our  knowl- 
edge and  classification  of  the  problems  on  which  to  work.  If  we  can  be  sure 
that  that  will  be  done,  there  will  not  be  very  much  practical  difficulty  in  reach- 
ing a  determination  as  to  what  kinds  of  work  should  be  undertaken  under  the 
terms  of  the  Adams  Act. 

That  involves,  I  think,  two  things  which  grow  out  of  the  organization  of 
agricultural  work  in  this  country.  The  station  staffs  are  generally  composed  of 
men  representing  different  sciences,  and  the  director  is  the  administrative  officer. 
who  represents  the  general  interests  of  the  station  and  is  responsible,  in  a 
general  way,  for  the  conduct  of  the  work.  Now  it  seems  to  me  that  if  we  are 
to  get  at  this  matter  definitely,  we  must  have  the  active  cooperation  of  both 
the  members  of  the  staff  and  the  directors  of  the  experiment  stations.  That 
means  that  the  members  of  the  staff,  in  thinking  about  this  matter  and  in 
formulating  plans  for  the  work,  should  consider  that  their  professional  standing 
is,  to  a  considerable  extent,  involved  in  their  action  in  the  matter.  That  is. 
1  am  sure  we  will  get  at  this  thing  much  more  clearly  and  definitely,  and 
with  the  least  difficulty,  if  the  gentlemen  making  the  propositions  are  held 
responsible  for  them  in  their  individual  capacity.  When  they  make  a  propo- 
sition for  work  to  be  done  under  the  Adams  Act  they  should  make  it  with 
an  understanding  of  what  has  already  been  done  on  that  subject.  Here,  for 
example,  is  a  proposition  to  make  an  investigation  on  scale  insects.  Now, 
the  presumption  ought  to  be  that  the  proposer,  as  a  competent  entomologist, 
has  himself  given  thorough  consideration  to  what  has  been  done  on  scale 
insects  up  to  this  time,  and  so  is  in  a  position  to  know  what  ought  to  be  done 
and  what  is  really  a  new  piece  of  work  on  that  subject.  When  that  matter  is 
passed  up  to  the  director  of  the  station  it  can  not  be  presumed  that  the  director 
will  himself  be  a  man  who  can  tell,  for  all  the  branches  of  agricultural  science, 
whether  the  work  proposed  is  original  or  not.  He  ought,  it  seems  to  me,  to 
make  a  study  of  his  staff,  and  with  regard  to  a  particular  proposition,  make 
such  inquiries  of  his  staff  as  to  determine  in  a  reasonable  way  whether  the 
man  making  the  proposition  in  the  first  place  is  competent,  and  whether  he 
has  given  proper  consideration  to  the  subject,  and  whether  the  proposition  is 
put  forth  in  the  best  way. 

I  speak  of  these  things  because  I  think  that  a  great  deal  is  involved  in  this 
with  reference  to  the  progress  of  station  work.  The  matter  is  one  which  reaches 
out,  it  seems  to  me,  to  the  whole  body  of  the  scientific  work  we  are  doing  in  our 
experiment  stations.  In  order  to  get  the  best  results  we  must  have  station 
workers  generally  feel  that  there  is  n<  w  a  magnificent  opportunity  offered  to 
put  agricultural  science  on  a  substantial  and  permanent  basis,  if  we  can  all 
work  together  with  that  spirit  I  am  sure  that  definite  results  of  great  impor- 
tance  will    follow    in    a    comparatively    short    time.     Thus    far    in   the   progress 


105 

of  our  work  in  this  country  the  necessity  for  making  fine  distinctions  has  not 
heen  impressed  upon  us  very  definitely.  There  has  been  an  enormous  pres- 
sure to  spread  our  work  out.  and  our  progress,  especially  in  recent  years,  has 
been  largely  a  spreading  out  in  all  directions.  We  have  specialized,  it  is  true. 
A  great  many  more  men  have  been  brought  into  the  station  work  and  the 
subject  of  agriculture  has  been  divided  into  specialized  branches ;  but,  after 
all,  the  men  taking  up  these  specialized  branches  have  been  led  very  largely 
to  give  their  attention  to  superficial  matters,  and  especially  to  reach  out 
toward  the  public  for  whose  benefit,  of  course,  all  this  work  is  being  done. 
Now  we  are  called  upon  to  go  deeper,  and  to  give  attention  to  those  things 
which  are  fundamental  and  original.  The  mere  fact  that  our  attention  is 
directly  called  to  the  necessity  for  research  will  without  doubt  be  a  great 
impetus  to  the  real  advancement  of  agricultural  science  if  we  work  together 
in  the  right  spirit  to  that  end.  And  the  thing  that  encourages  me  very  greatly 
in  this  matter  is  the  fact  that  there  has  been  so  ready  and  general  an  expression 
that  the  Adams  fund  should  be  devoted  to  fundamental  work.  The  great  ques- 
tion then  to  be  settled  is.  What  constitutes  original  research  in  agriculture? 
With  this  introduction,  I  think  it  best  to  leave  the  matter  to  further  discussion. 
H.  P.  Akmsby,  cf  Pennsylvania.  In  a  gathering  of  this  sort  I  assume  that  it 
is  our  purpose  to  discuss  ideals,  and  I  do  not  think  that  we  need  to  lay  any  par- 
ticular stress  here  upon  the  difficulties  that  lie  in  the  way  of  carrying  out  those 
ideals.  The  difficulties  will  make  themselves  sufficiently  manifest  as  we  proceed, 
and  there  is  no  danger,  I  think,  of  our  setting  too  high  a  standard  or  of  doing 
too  much  abstract  work.  I  do  not  think  we  should  discuss  the  question  of  the 
use  of  this  fund  from  what  may  be  called  the  legal  standpoint — that  is,  what 
we  may  do  and  what  we  must  do.  I  don't  think  that  sort  of  literalism  will 
carry  us  very  far.  This  is  not  so  much  a  question  of  legality  as  of  opportunity. 
We  are  offered  a  great  opportunity  by  this  fund.  The  question  is,  how  can  we 
best  take  advantage  of  that  opportunity?  Not  how  far  can  we  go,  or  must  we 
go,  in  this  direction  or  the  other  direction,  but  how  can  we  administer  this  trust 
in  the  most  effective  way  for  promoting  the  interests  of  agriculture  in  the  United 
States.  Now.  from  my  own  point  of  view — and  one  can,  of  course,  speak  only 
from  his  own  point  of  view — the  difficulty  with  our  experiment-station  work 
heretofore  has  heen  precisely  that  indicated  by  Doctor  True.  It  has  been  super- 
ficial, without  sufficient  thought.  The  Adams  Act  offers  us  the  chance  to  go  deeper 
into  fundamental  research.  Now.  it  is  somewhat  difficult  to  define  research, 
but  I  think  if  I  were  called  upon  to  do  so  I  would  say  that  what  is  understood 
by  scientific  research  in  the  minds  of  scientific  men  generally  is  investigation 
that  is  directed  to  answering  the  question  "  Why?  "  That  is  to  say,  it  is  investi- 
gation directed  to  the  study  of  underlying  principles,  and  I  do  not  believe  that 
we  can  emphasize  too  strongly  the  need  for  the  development  of  agricultural 
science  by  investigation  directed  toward  the  ascertainment  of  fundamental  prin- 
ciples. A  great  deal  of  our  investigation  heretofore  has  been  directed  to  ascer- 
taining certain  facts,  and  the  results  have  been  most  useful :  but  it  is  a  far 
greater  service  to  establish  the  principles  that  correlate  those  facts.  I  believe 
that  the  idea  which  should  guide  us  in  formulating  projects  under  this  act  is 
the  idea  of  experimental  work  directed  to  answering  the  question  "  Why?" — i.  e.. 
directed  toward  the  establishment  of  principles.  It  seems  to  me  that  with  that 
idea  before  us  we  can  not  go  very  far  astray.  There  are  difficulties  in  the 
way.  of  course,  and  these  are  greater  in  some  States  than  in  others,  but  patience, 
an  honest  purpose,  and,  above  all.  a  clear  conception  of  the  end  to  be  attained, 
will  overcome  them.  The  chief  object  of  this  discussion.  I  take  it.  is  to  help  us 
to  reach  such  a  conception,  and  my  contribution  to  it  is  a  definition  of  original 


106 

research,  viz,  that  it  is  research  directed  to  the  establishment  of  the  underlying 
principles  of  agriculture. 

<\  E.  Tiiorxe,  of  Ohio.  A  question  which  has  been  raised  in  my  mind  is  this — 
and  it  illustrates  the  general  problem  which  we  are  discussing:  Is  the  mere  fact 
of  acidity  unfavorable  to  the  growth  of  the  clover  bacterium,  or  is  the  acidity 
merely  a  sign  that  something  necessary  to  the  growth  of  this  bacterium  has  been* 
removed  from  the  soil  or  transformed  into  a  condition  unavailable  to  the  bacte- 
rium? Does  it  simply  move  the  horizon  one  step  further  back?  And  we  are  con- 
fronted with  some  such  question  as  that  in  every  step  of  our  work.  Now.  to  me. 
as  a  student  of  the  problems  of  soil  fertilization,  this  question  of  acidity  or  non- 
acidity  is  one  of  very  great  interest.  We  have  a  great  deal  of  literature  on  the 
question  of  lime  in  the  soil.  Many  experiments  have  been  made  and  reported  re- 
specting the  effect  of  additions  of  lime  to  the  soil,  and  a  great  many  observations 
have  been  recorded  respecting  the  snperior  fertility  of  soils  derived  from  limestone 
to  those  which  come  from  the  decomposition  of  rocks  deficient  in  lime.  We  know 
from  analysis  that  lime  is  necessary  to  the  growth  of  all  vegetable  and  animal  life : 
but  we  find  soils  which  are  producing  abundant  crops  of  the  cereals  and  yet  are 
failing  to  produce  crops  of  some  of  the  Leguminosse.  We  find  also  that  these 
Leguminosa^  draw  heavily  on  the  lime  supply.  Is  their  diminished  growth  merely 
an  indication  of  lime  hunger,  or  is  it  something  else?  How  much  do  we  know 
respecting  the  growth  of  the  bacteria  of  the  Leguminosjp  in  the  soil?  Are  we 
ready  to  say  that  any  definite  portion  of  lime  is  sufficient  to  the  growth  of  these 
organisms?  These  are  some  of  the  questions  that  are  coming  up  constantly 
in  our  work.     How  are  we  to  answer  them? 

We  have  made  many  field  experiments  which  have  been  entirely  too  super- 
ficial. We  have  dipped  in  here  and  there,  but  where  have  we  gone  deep  enough 
to  accumulate  a  body  of  facts  upon  which  we  may  safely  lean?  Much  of  our 
knowledge  of  the  effect  of  the  various  constituents  of  plants  and  the  functions 
of  soils  has  been  derived  from  experiments  made  on  a  very  small  scale.  Experi- 
ments have  been  undertaken  which  have  been  carried  on  for  a  year  or  two  and 
then  dropped.  The  whole  world  over  there  have  been  made  very  few  long-time 
experiments — experiments  which  have  been  carried  over  a  sufficient  length  of 
time  to  cover  the  climatic  variations  that  follow  the  cyclic  changes  of  the  sea- 
sons;  and,  after  all  that  has  been  done,  where  is  the  ground  for„the  assumption 
that  any  knowledge,  gained  from  laboratory  experiments  only,  will  ever  serve  as 
a  sufficient  guide  to  the  results  which  may  be  expected  in  the  field?  On  the  other 
hand,  where  the  field  experiment  has  been  made  unchecked  by  the  laboratory, 
where  is  the  evidence  that  essential  factors  have  not  been  overlooked  which 
might  have  been  detected  under  the  conditions  of  absolute  control  which  are 
possible  only  in  the  laboratory?  Taking  this  subject  alone,  it  seems  to  me  that 
there  is  an  illimitable  field  before  us,  beginning  where  the  desultory  field  experi- 
ment leaves  off,  a  field  in  which  we  can  expect  the  greatest  results  after  we  have 
combined  systematic  and  continuous  work  in  the  field  with  work  of  the  same 
character  in  the  laboratory. 

This  seems  to  me  to  be  one  of  the  lines  of  work  open  before  us.  It  seems  to 
me  also  that  we  have  unlimited  fields  of  investigation  in  the  nutrition  of  animals 
and  similar  problems.  The  crudest  foundations  only  are  laid;  but  by  utilizing 
to  the  best  advantage  those  foundations  we  have  the  greatest  opportunity  in 
the  history  of  the  world  to  go  forward  in  the  establishment  of  a  scientific  basis 
for  the  study  of  questions  relating  to  animal  life. 

L.  G.  Carpenter,  of  Colorado.  It  has  not  been  so  much  a  problem  to  find  what 
is  possible  for  us  to  do  under  the  law  as  to  find  what  we  had  better  take  up. 
There  is  not  much  difficulty  in  finding  researches  that  will  require  the  funds 


107 

available  and  the  entire  energies  of  the  station  staff.  It  becomes,  to  a  great 
extent,  an  adjustment  of  the  ideal  with  the  practical,  a  combination  of  condi- 
tions for  research  with  impatience  for  results. 

Now,  one  of  the  things  I  hope  to  hear  is  a  definition  of  the  scope  and  limita- 
tions within  the  meaning  of  the  act,  or  the  interpretation  of  the  Department. 
In  the  Adams  Act  the  funds  are  available  for  research  only.  The  Hatch  Act 
includes  verification  of  experiments,  and  thus  permits  almost  everything.  Now, 
what  is  the  interpretation  of  the  Department  of  research?  For,  as  I  take  it, 
the  Department  will  act  at  least  as  an  adviser,  if  not  in  a  more  directive 
capacity.  Are  what  we  term  investigations  to  be  considered  as  research?  What 
class  of  experiments  are  to  be  so  construed?  Where  is  the  line  to  be  drawn,  and 
when  will  investigations  or  experiments  be  deemed  worthy  of  being  termed 
research,  within  the  meaning  of  the  act? 

Also,  it  is  generally  realized  that  the  stations  have  a  constituency — perhaps 
members  of  their  own  staff — without  a  proper  conception  of  research,  clamorous 
for  immediate  results,  or  for  the  applause  attending  flashy  results,  without 
realizing  that  results  of  permanent  importance  must  be  rooted  deep  in  continu- 
ous, intelligent,  and  persistent  work. 

The  act  seems  to  be  clear.  The  question  is  in  its  interpretation.  The  station 
managers  will  be  subject  to  criticism  from  without,  and  possibly  from  within. 
Hence,  to  what  extent  is  the  Department  firm  in  its  convictions  as  expressed 
in  its  letter  of  instruction?  Can  we  still  count  upon  the  Department  holding  up 
our  hands  in  attempting  to  carry  through  such  lines? 

The  Adams  bill  affords  a  great  opportunity  to  the  stations.  Great  results  are 
to  come.  It  will  develop  conditions  better  adapted  for  scientific  research. 
Formerly  the  scientific  work  has  been  secondary.  Under  the  conditions  of  this 
act,  it  will  be  possible  for  this  work  to  be  primary  and  other  work  secondary, 
and  thus  the  scientist  may  realize  his  desire  to  develop  research  on  which  alone 
rests  the  foundation  of  applied  science.  It  is  a  matter  of  good  judgment  to 
initiate  such  researches  as  will  lead  to  applications  in  agricultural  products. 
It  is  undoubtedly  a  mistake  to  select  investigations  in  pure  science  whose  applica- 
tions are  remote,  though  it  is  true  that  the  most  important  researches  find  their 
application  long  in  the  future.  The  tendency  is  to  search  for  researches  having 
some  beneficial  application.  Thus,  even  in  the  Carnegie  Institution,  whose 
endowment  is  such  that  it  would  seem  that  the  management  would  be  as  little 
subject  to  pressure  for  results  as  any  could  be,  the  president  has  said  that  it  is  a 
constant  question  of  electing  such  line  of  research  as  would  find  immediate  appli- 
cation.    He  is  therefore  confronted  with  the  same  problems  as  are  the  stations. 

It  is  true  that  most  important  researches  find  their  application  long  in  the 
future.  Many  of  the  researches  have  been  carried  out  for  years  before  the  appli- 
cations appear.  This  is  true  of  agriculture  as  well  as  scientific  research  in 
general.  It  is  a  constant  fact  in  the  history  of  science  that  the  origin  of  a 
simple  application  will  be  found  far  back  in  some  remote  investigation.  It  is 
not  necessarily  a  case  where  a  research  should  be  excluded  because  its  applica- 
tions are  remote,  but  naturally  we  will  be  permitted  to  carry  on  long-term  in- 
vestigations if  confidence  is  placed  in  our  judgment  and  our  competency.  Some, 
if  not  most,  of  the  investigations  should  have  application  within  the  near  future. 
It  is  a  matter  of  difficulty  to  determine  what  should  be  taken  within  the  scope  of 
the  act  and  what  is  the  interpretaion  of  the  Department. 

Undoubtedly  interpretation  must  come  from  time  to  time,  and  I  suppose  the 
final  result  will  come  from  the  decisions  that  come  from  concrete  cases. 

E.  W.  Allen,  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations.  I  do  not  want  to  be  under- 
stood as  lacking  in  appreciation  of  the  practical  phase  of  this  question,  but  I 
believe  that  we  have  looked  so  long  at  the  practical  phase  that  our  vision  is 


108 

somewhat  dimmed.  I  believe  the  experiment  stations  are  for  agriculture — for 
the  science  of  agriculture,  as  well  as  for  the  practice  of  agriculture.  We  con- 
duct investigations  in  a  scientific  manner,  on  the  fundamental  basis  of  agri- 
cultural science,  in  order  that  the  practice  of  agriculture  may  be  made  more 
sure  and  more  intelligible.  The  Adams  fund  affords  an  opportunity  that  we 
have  never  had  before  to  add  rapidly  to  our  knowledge  of  these  fundamentals. 
Agricultural  experiment  stations  have  been  to  a  very  large  extent  the  stock  in 
trade  of  agricultural  teaching.  Agricultural  education  has  developed  and  pro- 
gressed with  the  development  of  the  experiment  stations  and  their  teachings. 
It  can  go  only  about  so  fast — only  about  as  fast  as  the  experiment  stations  can 
furnish  the  basis.  The  agricultural  college,  then,  furnishes  one  strong  reason 
and  claim  for  agricultural  investigation,  which  it  looks  to  the  experiment  sta- 
tions to  supply.  The  stations  have  a  duty  to  the  college  as  well  as  to  the 
farmer.  In  the  selection  of  problems  for  research  in  the  several  States  con- 
sideration must  be  given  to  the  needs  of  our  constituency,  for  this  research  is 
ultimately  to  benefit  their  practice.  In  some  States  I  recognize  that  the  pressure 
is  already  so  great  upon  the  experiment  station  that  'attention  will  have  to  be 
given  to  selecting  problems  which  will  have  an  immediate  bearing  upon  practice. 
In  other  States  problems  may  be  taken  up  that  will  not  be  of  much  interest  to 
farmers  for  some  years  to  come,  but  along  with  these  investigations  come  some 
which  will  have  a  more  apparent  and  immediate  bearing.  Now.  it  seems  to  me 
that  one  of  the  results  of  this  work  will  inevitably  be  something  of  a  differen- 
tiation in  our  station  staffs  as  between  teaching  and  experimentation  or  in- 
vestigation and  between  the  other  forms  of  teaching,  such  as  farmers'  institute 
work  and  demonstration  work  in  general.  Some  men  are  by  nature  better 
suited  by  their  mental  equipment  to  take  up  the  long-time  investigations  that 
go  deeper  into  the  underlying  principles  than  other  men.  Other  men  have  not 
the  heart  for  investigation  of  that  sort.  We  have  unfortunately  all  too  small 
a  number  of  men  suited  to  this  higher  investigation,  but  a  considerable  number 
of  these  have  made  national  reputations  as  scientific  experts  in  their  particular 
branches.  When  we  have  such  a  man,  we  should  do  all  we  can  to  encourage 
him,  and  everything  should  be  done  to  give  that  man  the  opportunity  to  do 
work  that  will  benefit  the  stations  as  a  whole.  If  every  station  will  undertake 
some  real  research  work,  and  make  conditions  favorable  for  it,  agricultural 
investigation  will  develop  rapidly,  and  our  scientific  basis  for  teaching  and  for 
practice  will  be  greatly  broadened. 

Some  one  has  spoken  of  experiments  in  animal  husbandry.  This  has  been  an 
exceedingly  practical  line  of  work  that  has  done  a  great  good,  because  it  fur- 
nishes tangible  results,  which  can  be  seen  and  appreciated  by  the  farmers,  but 
there  is  a  deeper  phase  of  this  work  relating  to  the  principles  of  animal  nutri- 
tion. I  believe  the  time  has  come  for  more  work  on  these  principles,  for  we 
have  progressed  very  slowly  in  our  understanding  of  the  nutrition  of  farm 
animals.  Such  investigation  requires  men  specially  suited  to  it,  and  often 
special  costly  apparatus.  Very  few  stations  can  afford  to  put  the  money  into 
the  construction  and  operation  of  a  respiration  apparatus,  and  perhaps  fewer 
still  have  a  man  to  take  charge  of  the  work.  Rut  we  have  one  station  which 
happily  is  equipped  with  both  the  man  and  the  apparatus,  and  it  is  of  interest 
to  us  all  as  station  workers  that  this  advantage  shall  be  fully  utilized.  It 
seems  to  me  we  may  well  encourage  and  commend  this  undertaking  and  set  our 
Seal  of  approval  on  it  as  genuine  research  in  agriculture.  The  State  of  Penn- 
sylvania may  take  the  attitude  of  many  other  States  and  say  that  these  matters 
have  been  under  investigation  for  a  number  of  years  and  it  is  time  to  give  the 
case  to  the  jury.     But  if  the  Pennsylvania  board  can  be  made  to  feel  that  this 


109 

work  is  beneficial  to  the  station  work  as  a  whole,  and  that  the  station  investi- 
gators are  especially  desirous  that  it  be  developed  to  the  fullest  extent  practi- 
cable, it  may  make  the  road  easier  for  Director  Armsby.  It  is  an  undertaking 
we  are  proud  of,  and  we  recognize  how  great  its  value  may  be  to  agricultural 
science  and  to  the  practice  of  feeding.  It  has  occurred  to  me  that  it  might  be 
quite  proper  for  this  section  to  express  its  approval  of  this  research  which  is 
being  carried  on  at  the  Pennsylvania  station  and  express  the  hope  that  it  may 
be  continued  and  developed  under  this  new  fund. 

E.  A.  Burnett,  of  Nebraska.  At  this  point  I  would  like  to  raise  the  question 
if  it  would  not  be  proper  for  this  association,  before  it  adjourns,  to  memorialize 
Congress  asking  them  that  they  devote  specific  appropriations  for  various  years 
to  this  work  of  animal  nutrition  being  carried  on  by  Doctor  Armsby  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. None  of  the  men  out  in  our  western  country  feel  that  they  can  do  that 
work.  We  feel  that  we  have  a  larger  problem  in  practical  lines  of  work  that  is 
proving  of  a  great  deal  of  benefit  to  our  people.  We  feel  that  this  work  is  of 
high  service,  and  we  can  not  go  very  deeply  into  the  problem  of  animal  nutrition, 
but  there  ought  to  be  some  one  in  this  country  to  continue  these  experiments 
as  long  as  it  may  be  necessary,  be  it  for  five.  ten.  or  twenty  years,  or  twice 
that  long.  We  feel  that  some  institution  should  have  an  opportunity  to  do  that 
and  should  have  an  office  provided  with  all  the  apparatus  necessary  to  do  it, 
and  I  think  this  association  should  not  adjourn  without  memorializing  Congress 
asking  for  some  appropriation,  which  should  be  liberal  in  its  amount,  to  aid 
in  some  such  line  of  investigation. 

On  motion  of  H.  J.  Wheeler,  of  Rhode  Island,  a  committee  consisting  of 
E.  W.  Allen.  W.  H.  Jordan,  and  H,  J.  Waters  was  appointed  to  draft  resolutions 
on  the  line  of  the  remarks  made  by  Doctor  Allen.  This  committee  later  reported 
resolutions  commending  the  work  of  Doctor  Armsby  with  the  respiration 
calorimeter,  and  expressing  the  hope  that  it  would  be  continued  and  developed 
to  the  fullest  extent  practicable. 

W.  H.  Jordan,  of  New  York.  Mr.  Chairman,  perhaps  we  have  discussed  this 
matter  as  long  as  we  care  to.  Permit  me.  however,  to  express  my  sympathy 
with  the  officials  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations.  They  are  in  a  difficult 
and  delicate  position,  but  we  have  a  great  deal  of  satisfaction  in  knowing  that 
we  can  trust  them.  They  are  as  intensely  interested  in  the  proper  administra- 
tion of  the  Adams  fund  as  any  of  us  can  be,  and  they  have  at  heart  the  highest 
interests  of  all  concerned. 

I  take  it  that  in  their  interpretation  of  what  constitutes  research  they  will 
not  differentiate  between  the  various  lines  of  inquiry,  nor  will  what  is  regarded 
as  research  be  confined  to  laboratory  subjects  or  laboratory  methods.  If  it  is 
real  inquiry  that  a  station  seeks  to  enter  upon,  it  may  be  carried  on  in  the  field 
or  in  the  stable,  in  the  domain  of  physical  facts  or  with  reference  to  economic 
relations. 

I  do  not  see  why  there  should  be  any  question  as  to  what  is  inquiry — that  is, 
research.  It  is  difficult  to  understand,  also,  why  it  is  hard  to  find  lines  of  work 
that  are  important  to  which  research  methods  should  be  applied.  We  all  know 
that  in  the  past  station  directors  have  been  somewhat  cautious  about  expending 
money  on  scientific  problems  that  did  not  have  an  apparent  application  to  imme- 
diate needs,  but  the  attitude  of  the  public  has  changed  and  we  will  find  sufficient 
support.  I  think,  for  a  policy  of  another  kind. 

Our  station  staffs  should  be  organized  with  reference  to  new  conditions.  It 
is  not  wise.  I  am  sure,  to  combine  several  functions  in  the  same  man.  Some  one 
has  just  stated  in  this  discussion  that  he  wants  a  bacteriologist  who  is  able  to 
meet  the  dairy  husbandman  on  his  own  ground:    in  other  words,  he  wants  an 


110 

expert  in  a  special  department  of  science  who  is  at  the  same  time  an  expert 
in  the  art  of  dairy  manufacturing.  From  my  experience  of  twenty  years  as 
a  station  director  I  am  confident  that  the  function  of  inquiring  into  a  special 
subject  requiring  severe  laboratory  methods,  and  therefore  an  extended  study 
of  literature,  can  not  well  he  comhined  with  the  duties  of  a  practical  dairyman. 
We  need  two  sets  of  men — those  who  seek  for  fundamentals  and  those  who  are 
busy  with  the  exploitation  of  knowledge. 

A.  C.  True,  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations.  One  of  the  difficulties 
encountered  by  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  is  that  the  projects  proposed 
under  the  Adams  Act  are  frequently  not  stated  with  sufficient  fullness  and 
clearness  to  make  plain  what  is  meant,  and  it  may  be,  therefore,  that  in  some 
cases  wrong  decisions  have  been  reached  in  reference  to  them.  I  speak  of 
this  because  I  want  to  encourage  in  every  possible  way  the  fullest,  frankest 
confidence  by  correspondence  and  otherwise,  in  order  that  we  may  get  a 
proper  insight  into  the  proposition  made  along  these  lines. 

That  is  one  of  the  reasons  that  we  have  taken  the  course  that  we  have.  It 
seems  to  me  that  it  will  do  away  with  a  large  amount  of  friction  and  trouble 
it  wo  can  know  in  advance  by  correspondence  or  conference  what  a  station 
really  intends  to  work  upon.  Frequently  the  experiment  will  involve  some 
years'  work.  So  that  if  we  can  by  conference  reach  a  decision  as  to  what  is 
the  best  thing  to  be  done,  it  would  save  much  in  the  actual  expenditure  of 
money  and  would  prevent  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  friction.  I  want  to 
make  that  clear  to  you  and  encourage  so  far  as  I  can  a  full  statement  regard- 
ing this  matter. 

Now,  another  thing:  Some  persons  have  raised  the  question  as  to  whether  we 
would  hold  these  matters  as  confidential.  I  have  already  had  inquiries  from 
certain  stations  as  to  what  other  stations  were  going  to  do  under  the  Adams 
Act.  I  have  refused  to  give  out  such  information,  and  it  is  my  intention  to 
maintain  that  policy.  I  do  not  consider  that  the  record  of  this  work  should 
be  open  in  our  Office,  and  it  is  my  intention  to  hold  to  this  policy  strictly,  so 
that  I  think  you  will  be  safe  in  dealing  with  us  frankly  in  the  matter. 

At  the  same  time  it  is  not  our  desire  to  know  in  detail  what  you  are  going 
to  do  or  what  methods  you  are  going  to  pursue  in  working  out  the  problems. 
What  we  want  to  find  out  is  the  nature  of  the  work  which  you  have  under- 
taken— what  it  actually  is  that  you  want  to  do.  When  we  know  that  and 
reach  an  understanding,  it  seems  to  me  that  is  as  far  as  we  ought  to  go. 

Another  thing :  We  don't  want  any  responsibility  put  upon  us  to  choose 
between  the  projects.  For  example,  a  certain  experiment  station  proposes 
twelve  different  projects.  Suppose  we  decide  every  one  of  these  is  good,  so 
tar  as  the  character  of  the  work  is  concerned,  and  proper  to  come  under  the 
Adams  Act.  But  there  seems  to  be  in  the  mind  of  the  director  the  suggestion 
that  we  might  undertake  to  say  which  of  those  problems  should  be  taken  up. 
We  <1<>  net  want  to  make  decisions  along  that  line.  Our  object  is  to  determine 
the  character  of  the  work.  If  we  are  satisfied  that  it  is  the  proper  kind  of 
work  to  come  in  under  this  act,  then  it  is  the  province  of  the  experiment 
station  director  to  decide  what  projects  to  take  up.  As  a  matter  of  advice.  I 
will  say  that  we  are  advising  people  generally  to  take  up  a  few  projects  and 
put  enough  money  into  them  to  get  something  out  of  them. 

I  have  spoken  thus  far  of  the  difficulties  in  this  matter.  It  seems  to  me 
that  there  are  other  things  which  can  be  said.  One  of  them  is  that  we  have 
settled  a  very  great  and  important  question  that  has  been  troubling  us  for  a 
good  many  years  the  question  as  to  how  we  were  to  get  funds  for  original 
research.  We  have  now  obtained  these  funds  as  a  permanent  appropriation. 
The  stations  and  the  agricultural  colleges  with  which  they  are  connected  are 


Ill 

in  a  better  position  than  they  have  ever  been  before  to  take  up  measures  which 
will  more  thoroughly  secure  the  support  of  the  great  body  of  our  constituency. 
These  matters  relate  to  the  education  of  the  people  along  agricultural  lines 
and  the  giving  them  practical  information  which  they  desire,  through  bulletins, 
farmers'  institutes,  and  elementary  courses  of  instruction  in  agriculture  in 
the  public  schools.  Under  existing  conditions,  with  a  larger  number  of  men 
engaged  in  the  work,  we  can  undertake  work  which  will  tend  to  popularize 
this  enterprise  much  more  widely.  While  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations 
is  dealing  with  the  Adams  fund,  it  is  not  its  purpose  to  abandon  the  effort 
to  popularize  the  work  of  the  colleges  and  stations.  And  we  hope  that  we  will 
be  in  a  better  position,  with  the  help  of  the  institutions  represented  here,  to 
do  that  work  than  ever  before,  and  that,  if  all  of  us  pull  together,  we  will  be 
able  to  make  the  work  of  the  colleges  and  experiment  stations  more  fully 
appreciated  by  the  masses  of  the  people. 

So  that,  looking  over  the  field  in  a  broad  way,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  cause 
of  agricultural  science  and  education  in  this  country  was  never  on  a  better 
footing  than  it  is  to-day. 

Resolution  Regarding  Administration  of  the  Adams   Act. 

On  motion  of  J.  L.  Snyder,  of  Michigan,  the  following  resolution  was  adopted : 

Resolved.  That  the  section  on  station  work  expresses  its  approval  of  the 
methods  adopted  by  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  for  the  administration  of 
the  Adams  Act. 

It  was  then  moved  and  carried  that  a  copy  of  the  resolution  be  transmitted 
to  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture,  at  Washington.  D.  C. 

Methods  of  Experimentation  in  Feeding  for  Meat  Production. 

H.  W.  Mumford.  of  Illinois,  read  the  following  paper : 

It   is  consistent  to  consider  this  subject   from   the  broad  point  of  view   of 
"  applying  logical  principles  to  the  discovery,  confirmation,  and  elucidation  of 
truth  "  concerning  experimentation  in  feeding  for  meat  production.     For  con- 
venience, the  subject  is  discussed  under  the  following  heads : 
I.  The  investigator  and  his  point  of  view. 

II.  The  nature  of  the  investigation. 

III.  Plan. 

IV.  Execution. 
V.  Interpretation. 

VI.  Presentation. 

I.    THE    INVESTIGATOR    AND    HIS    POINT    OF    VIEW. 

Every  experiment  station  worker  is  to-day  more  or  less  handicapped  or  em- 
barrassed by  conclusions  which  have  been  reached  either  from  insufficient  evi 
deuce  or  misinterpretation  of  data.  It  is  extremely  difficult  for  the  investigator 
to  be  unbiased  in  his  judgment.  It  is  not  desirable  that  the  investigator  should 
be  without  opinions  and  theories,  but  it  is  highly  desirable  that  he  should  culti- 
vate an  inquiring  mind  that  is  always  seeking  new  truths.  Generally  speaking, 
those  of  least  experience  speak  with  greatest  positiveaess.  The  investigator 
must  early  learn  to  distinguish  between  opinion  and  truth,  between  theory  and 
fact.  If  the  investigator  is  opinionated  and  prejudiced,  he  is  not  likely  to  con- 
duct an  investigation  fairly,  even  if  he  intends  to.  especially  if  it  has  to  do  with 
some  pet  theory.  Should  the  results  of  the  test  prove  the  fallacy  of  his  theory, 
the  experiment  is  too  frequently  discarded  as  of  little  value  or  is  not  presented 
fairly  to  the  public.  It  is  not  necessary  to  urge  here  that  the  investigator 
should  accept  with  the  greatest  alacrity  the  facts  which  are  determined  by 
careful  experimentation,  no  matter  whether  or  not  they  are  in  line  with  his 
former  beliefs. 

26140— No.  184—07  if 8 


112 

Experiments  in  moat  production  should  be  undertaken  only  after  the  investi- 
gator lias,  by  study  and  observation,  secured  a  broad  conception  of  the  business, 
as  it  affects  a  very  large  number  of  people.  Otherwise  investigations  are  under- 
taken which  are  too  narrow  in  scope  to  warrant  the  expenditure  of  public  funds. 
Ic  is  safe  to  say  that  an  experiment  should  never  be  conducted  in  order  to  prove 
or  disprove  some  individual's  opinion  or  satisfy  curiosity.  There  are  times 
when  the  investigator's  hands  are  tied,  so  to  speak,  because  he  has.  from  lack  of 
funds,  been  forced  to  so  plan  his  investigations  that  the  actual  money  loss  is 
small.  More  unfortunate  still  is  the  condition  of  the  investigator  who  feels  that 
the  degree  of  success  of  his  experiment  depends  upon  the  percentage  of  profit  he 
is  able  to  show  from  the  feeding  experience,  provided  an  experiment  in  feeding 
for  meat  production  is  involved. 

II.    THE    NATURE    OF    THE    INVESTIGATION. 

Investigations  concerning  meat  production  might  well  be  classified  as  follows: 
(a)   Collection,   arrangement,  or  classification   and  dissemination  of  informa- 
tion in  the  possession  of  a  few  that  is  of  interest  and  of  economic  importance 
to  many — information  which  may  be  used  by  the  few  to  the  disadvantage  of  the 
majority. 

(h)   Confirmation  of  accepted  truths  and  experimental  data  already  secured. 

(c)  Discovery  of  principles  underlying  facts. 

(d)  Discovery  of  new  truths  or  facts. 

Before  considering  these  separately  there  are  some  general  considerations 
concerning  the  nature  of  investigations  that  should  be  noted.  Questions  having 
economic  bearing  should  neither  be  shunned  nor  allowed  to  unduly  influence 
the  investigator.  That  is  to  say.  an  experiment  should  not  be  branded  as  unsci- 
entific because  it  teaches  an  important  economic  truth.  On  the  other  hand, 
investigators  having  what  might  be  called  a  practical  turn  of  mind  should  not 
condemn  experiments  the  economic  importance  of  which  seems  slight.  The 
writer  believes  that  the  highest  type  of  investigation  in  meat  production  is 
that  which  discovers,  by  the  most  careful  and  scientific  experimental  methods, 
principles  underlying  new  facts  of  great  economic  importance,  principles  and 
facts  of  such  a  nature  and  so  presented  as  to  be  easily  understood  and  applied 
by   intelligent   readers. 

It  is  highly  desirable  that  the  results  may  serve  as  large  a  number  of  people 
as  possible.  With  the  present  organization  of  State  and  United  States  experi- 
ment stations  there  is  afforded  the  best  possible  opportunity  for  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture  to  deal  with  problems  of  general  interest 
and  wide  application,  and  the  State  stations  questions  which  are  more  local  in 
character.  This  does  not  mean  that  the  State  stations  should  confine  their 
work  to  local  questions,  nor  that  the  United  States  should  not.  where  necessary. 
supplement  State  work  in  dealing  with  local  problems.  Indeed,  instances  arc1 
not  wanting  where  the  United  States  Government  has  solved  local  agricultural 
questions  of  great  importance  that  have  been  practically  untouched  by  local 
authorities.  Theoretically,  however,  experiment  station  workers  belonging  to 
State  station  staffs  should  be  not  only  best  able  to  investigate  local  problems, 
but  also  to  interest  their  constituency  in  the  results  of  such  investigation. 

A  common  mistake  among  investigators  is  undertaking  questions,  the  investi- 
gation of  which  requires  an  expenditure  of  funds  entirely  out  of  proportion 
with  the  income  of  the  station. 

To  return  to  a  consideration  of  the  various  groups  of  investigations  relating 
to  meat  production — 

(a)  Collection,  arrangement  or  classification,  and  dissemination  of  informa- 
tion.— There  are  a  large  number  of  investigations  which  might  properly  be 
classified  under  this  heading.  As  an  example  of  this  class  we  would  call 
attention  to  Bulletin  .W  78  of  the  Illinois  Experiment  Station  on  the  Market 
Classes  and  Grades  of  Cattle.  This  bulletin  has  been  looked  upon  as  a  valu- 
able contribution  to  the  literature  relating  to  beef  production.  It  brings  out 
no  new  truths,  but  presents  information  which,  before  its  publication,  was 
in  possession  of  relatively  few.  and  yet  this  information  was  of  vast  economic 
importance  to  every  cuttle  feeder  and  breeder  throughout  the  country  at  large. 
We  look,  upon  this  class  of  investigations  as  preparatory.  It  seems  a  logical 
method  of  preparing  the  mind  of  the  investigator  for  a  broad  view  of  the  situa- 
tion. Such  investigation  should  as  far  as  possible  be  looked  upon  as  prelimi- 
nary to  subsequent  investigations.     Without  such  preliminary  work  the  invest i- 


113 

gator  is  likely  to  be  ignorant  of  certain  fundamentals  that  will  influence 
results  and  that  are  necessary  for  their  proper  interpretation. 

(&)  Confirmation  of  accepted  truths  and  experimental  data  already  secured. — 
Quite  a  large  number  of  experiments  in  animal  nutrition  have  proved  the  cor- 
rectness of  the  opinions  and  beliefs  of  experienced  live-stock  producers.  Many 
experiments  are  a  repetition  of  similar  experiments  either  in  the  same  or  other 
stations.  Such  experiments  are  no  less  valuable  on  that  account.  We  shall 
have  more  to  say  of  this  class  of  experiments  elsewhere. 

(c)  Discovery  of  principles  underlying  facts. — The  aim  of  the  investigator 
should  be  to  determine  underlying  principles,  or  why  certain  facts  exist,  rather 
than  simply  that  they  are  facts.  Facts  without  a  full  understanding  of  the 
underlying  principles  governing  them  are  not  capable  of  the  widest  application. 

III.    PLAN. 

The  plan  of  an  investigation  should  eliminate  as  far  as  possible  the  necessity 
of  repetition.  In  many  instances  the  writer  believes  that  this  is  entirely  feasi- 
ble. Experiments  are  recorded  where  an  attempt  has  been  made  to  ascertain 
certain  facts  by  repeated  tests.  Investigators  realize  that  if  the  repetition  of 
the  experiment  is  to  amount  to  much  it  must  be  conducted  under  entirely  com- 
parable conditions.  The  instances  are  rare  where  this  is  possible.  No  two 
seasons  are  alike  nor  the  same  season  in  different  years,  and  in  most  investiga- 
tions in  meat  production  there  is  little,  if  any,  control  of  climatic  conditions. 
With  repetition  this  element  of  error  must  therefore  be  reckoned  with.  Varia- 
tion in  the  quality  or  grade  of  feeds  used  in  feeding  the  animals  is  also  a  factor 
which  figures  conspicuously  in  such  attempts.  If  suitable  animals  in  suffi- 
cient numbers  are  used  and  a  carefully  worked  out  plan  is  executed  without 
accident,  on  the  principle  that  duplication  is  desirable  and  more  nearly  possible 
if  attempted  in  one  test,  the  results  of  such  an  investigation  should  be  more 
conclusive  than  those  involving  a  number  of  repeated  tests  under  necessarily 
varying  conditions.  A  correct  conclusion  can  not  be  reached  by  averaging 
two  or  more  incorrect  groups  of  data.  This  subject  furnishes  a  most  excellent 
field  for  discussion. 

In  planning  the  experiment  the  investigator  should  be  clear  as  to  whether 
or  not  the  investigation  in  hand,  when  finished,  is  complete  in  itself  or  a  part 
of  an  understood  series. 

There  are  three  factors  which  require  most  careful  attention  in  the  planning 
of  an  experiment  in  meat  production.  First,  the  animals  used;  second,  the 
feeds ;  third,  the  environment.  As  to  the  animals :  All  the  animals  used 
should,  as  far  as  possible  (a)  have  the  same  treament  previous  to  the  test; 
(b)  they  should  belong  to  the  same  grade — that  is,  be  similarly  bred  and  in  like 
condition;  (c)  they  should  be  of  the  same  age,  unless,  of  course,  the  experiment 
involves  an  investigation  of  the  feeding  qualities  of  various  ages  of  animals  : 
(d)  they  should  be  comparable  in  thrift  and  weight,  and  (e)  they  should  be 
representative  or  normal. 

Recent  experiments  that  have  been  investigating  the  office  of  certain  chemical 
elements  and  compounds  in  the  feeding  of  animals  are  to  be  encouraged. 
Pending  the  results  of  such  investigations,  which  are  only  possible  to  a  few 
stations,  it  is  desirable  that  the  stations  determine  first  the  behavior  of  nature's 
feeds — that  is,  such  feeds  as  corn,  oats,  wheat,  barley,  and  hay  of  various  kinds— 
rather  than  tests  with  by-products  of  mills  and  packing  houses,  the  composition 
of  which  feeds  is  subject  to  great  change  and  the  discontinuance  of  the  manu- 
facture of  which  in  some  instances  is  not  unlikely. 

The  writer  looks  upon  it  as  one  of  the  serious  problems  for  the  future  investi- 
gator in  animal  nutrition  that  producers  of  meat  will  undoubtedly  be  obliged 
to  use  more  and  more  extensively  such  manufactured  feeds.  Such  practice  will 
introduce  so  much  of  uncertainty  and  such  a  wide  range  of  problems  that  the 
practical  man  will  be  more  and  more  dependent  upon  the  investigator,  who  in 
turn  will  be  greatly  handicapped  by  being  obliged  to  deal  with  manufactured 
products.  The  time  has  come  when  meat  producers  and  investigators  should 
insist  on  standardized  commercial  feeds. 

It  has  already  been  said  that  animals  used  in  .a  feeding  test  should  have 
received  the  same  treatment.  It  is  equally  important  that  they  should  be  sur- 
rounded bv  the  same  conditions  during  the  test.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say 
that  this  matter  has  not  received  sufficiently  careful  attention  by  investigators 
in  the  past 


114 

The  plan  of  an  experiment  in  moat  production  should  involve  having  suitable 
photographs  taken  of  the  animals  used,  at  least  at  the  beginning  and  end  of  the 
test.  In  some  cases  such  photographs  should  be  taken  at  regular  intervals 
during  the  progress  of  the  experiment. 

IV.    EXECUTION. 

The  very  closest  scrutiny  by  the  investigator  of  the  animals  and  their  environ- 
ment and  the  feeds  used  in  an  experiment  should  be  made  throughout  the 
entire  test.  Many  experiments  have  failed,  not  because  of  a  lack  of  a  careful 
plan,  but  because  of  lax  execution.  It  is  far  easier  for  the  man  who  is  actually 
doing  the  feeding  of  experimental  live  stock  to  slight  the  weighing  of  feed  or 
animals,  or  if  a  certain  lot  of  animals  is  not  thriving  as  he  thinks  they  should 
to  give  them  a  bit  of  bran  or  an  appetizer  of  some  sort,  than  to  follow  a  definite 
plan.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  results  of  experimental  feeding  to  mean 
anything  must  be  secured  by  the  most  careful  and  painstaking  attention  to 
every  detail.  Securing  normal  initial,  periodical,  and  final  weights  is  a  per- 
plexing and  extremely  important  detail  of  a  feeding  experiment.  The  custom 
has  been  quite  universal  to  weigh  on  three  consecutive  days  (the  experiment 
beginning  on  the  middle  day)  and  averaging  these  to  secure  an  approximately 
correct  initial  weight.  Where  a  considerable  number  of  animals  are  involved 
it  has  been  argued  by  some  that  one  weight  is  as  accurate  as  more.  This  may 
be  true  if  weather  and  other  conditions  surrounding  the  weighing  are  such  as 
to  insure  a  normal  weight.  If  not,  then  the  conditions  which  render  the  weight 
of  one  animal  abnormal  will,  in  all  probability,  render  the  weights  of  all  the 
animals  abnormal.  Frequent  periodical  weighings  are  unsatisfactory  because 
of  the  impracticability  of  taking  the  average  of  three  weights  on  consecutive 
days  or  depending  upon  the  probable  incorrectness  of  a  single  weight. 

V.    INTERPRETATION. 

An  economic  interpretation  of  experimental  data,  where  possible,  is  extremely 
valuable.  It  is  very  generally  demanded  by  the  reading  public  and  frequently 
aids  in  establishing  fundamental  principles  of  live-stock  economics.  Such  treat- 
ment of  the  data  of  a  feeding  experiment  naturally  appeals  to  practical  pro- 
ducers as  of  vital  importance. 

In  the  writer's  judgment  the  financial  statement  should  be  but  one  of  several 
methods  of  treatment,  all  of  which  may  well  be  worked  up  from  the  same  data. 
Because  this  feature  of  bulletin  work  is  likely  to  be  more  closely  studied  by 
practical  live-stock  producers  than  any  other,  it  should  be  prepared  with  the 
utmost  care,  that  no  misleading  impressions  be  given. 

A  detailed  statement  of  the  actual  financial  transactions  from  beginning  to 
end  is  always  useful  and  teaches  lessons  which  any  live-stock  feeding  experience 
might,  but  it  is  very  seldom  that  such  data  can  be  relied  upon  to  establish  fun- 
damental or  important  principles.  Care  should  be  taken  that  the  financial 
Statement  does  not  exclude  a  broader  consideration  and  presentation  of  the 
data. 

Markets  for  live  stock  suitable  for  fattening  and  slaughtering  purposes 
and  feeds  used  in  their  preparation  for  market,  leading  factors  with  which 
the  live-stock  experimenter  has  to  deal,  are  exceedingly  variable.  These 
factors  mnsl  be  reckoned  with  in  dealing  with  the  economic  phases  of  live-stock 
production.  The  danger  in  dealing  at  all  with  financial  aspects  of  experimental 
data  is  that  the  investigator  is  too  much  inclined  to  deal  with  current  condi- 
tions only.  Not  only  so.  but  there  is  further  danger  that  he  stops  with  such 
consideration,  utterly  failing  to  discover  and  present  underlying  principles 
upon  which  certain  financial  results  depend. 

VI.    PRESENTATION. 

It  has  been  the  experience  of  the  writer  that  to  properly  Interprel  and  pre- 
pare data  secured  in  an  experiment  in  feeding  for  meat  production  for  presen- 
tation requires  far  more  time  than  the  planning  and  execution  of  the  inves- 
tigation. 

The  object  of  an  investigation  should  be  narrowed  sufficiently  to  avoid  jeop- 
ardizing the  results  by  multiplying  the  objects.  Data  secured  relating  to  a 
single  question  may  frequently  be  made  to  apply  to  a  number  of  problems,  if 
sufficient  consideration  is  given  it.     There  are  two  classes  of  results,   (f/)   eon- 


115 

elusive  and  (&)  indicative.  The  investigator  should  early  learn  to  distinguish 
quickly  and  clearly  between  the  one  class  of  results  and  the  other  and  present 
the  data  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  be  misleading.  Plates  illustrating  animals 
and  equipment  used  in  an  experiment,  together  with  illustrations  showing  the 
conditions  and  quality  of  animals  used  at  the  end  of  the  test,  should  constitute 
a  prominent  and  extremely  valuable  feature  in  presenting  experimental  data. 

Investigators  of  meat  producers'  problems  should  not  overlook  the  great 
importance  of  the  quality  and  degree  of  marketable  finish  secured  with  various 
rations.  To  do  this  accurately  animals  must  be  appraised  by  market  experts, 
who  do  their  work  carefully,  whether  at  some  live-stock  market  or  at  the  experi- 
mental plant  of  the  station.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  selling  price 
of  animals  in  market  does  not  always  indicate  their  market  value.  This  should 
be  determined  independent  of  the  sale  price.  Again,  the  experts  should  be 
checked  by  terminating  the  feeding  experiment  with  a  slaughter  test,  which 
should  indicate  whether  or  not  the  experts  were  right. 

The  Illinois  station  has  adopted  the  plan  of  presenting  tentative  and  incom- 
plete data  in  circular  form,  using  the  bulletins  for  more  formal  and  permanent 
presentations.  A  clear-cut  distinction  is  made  between  results  that  are  char- 
acteristic enough  to  be  considered  conclusive  and  those  which  are  simply 
indicative. 

Finally,  the  investigator  can  well  afford  to  keep  in  mind  that  meat  production 
is  an  economic  question. 

J.  L.  Hills,  of  Vermont,  read  the  following  paper: 

Methods  of  Experimentation  in  Feeding  for-  Milk  Production. 

Animal  production  is  studied  experimentally  at  present  by  means  of  the  so- 
called  practical  feeding  trial  as  well  as  through  the  use  of  the  more  refined 
apparatus  and  methods  of  exact  measurement.  The  first-named  scheme  is 
really  a  study  in  economics ;  it  has  to  do  with  results  rather  than  with  causes. 
The  latter  deals  with  physiological  chemistry  and  is  concerned  more  with  the 
development  of  fundamentals  than  with  the  dollars-and-cents  phase  of  the 
problem.  Successfully  to  prosecute  the  one  neither  calls  for  a  high  degree  of 
skill  as  to  the  plan  or  its  conduct  nor  great  acumen  in  interpretation  of  results ; 
properly  to  accomplish  the  other  necessitates  in  all  these  respects  and  more 
the  utmost  thought  and  attention.  Each  method  has  its  strong  and  weak  points ; 
each  its  devotees  and  those  who  deride  it.  It  has  been  the  fashion  of  late 
to  criticise  unfavorably  the  so-called  practical  feeding  test;  to  condemn  it  as 
unscientific ;  to  say  that  it  deals  with  effect  and  not  with  cause ;  that  it  does 
not  differentiate  between  the  products  which  are-  food-derived  and  those  which 
form  as  a  result  of  sundry  katabolic  activities;  that,  in  short,  it  fails  in  its 
proper  mission  in  that  while  the  fact  may  be  developed,  no  clew  is  afforded  as 
to  the  method  or  reason  back  of  the  fact.  It  is  also  averred — often  with  all 
too  much  truth — that  the  plan  is  apt  to  be  faulty  in  conception,  execution,  or  scope  ; 
that  sufficient  allowance  is  not  made  for  bovine  idiosyncrasies ;  that  data  are 
infrequently  or  imperfectly  gathered,  inadequately  digested,  or  erroneously 
interpreted ;  and,  finally,  that  diametrically  opposite  results  are  often  arrived 
at  under  apparently  identical  circumstances. 

It  is  doubtless  quite  in  order  in  view  of  our  present-day  knowledge  to  jettison 
the  results  attained  in  most  of  the  earlier  trials,  not  to  speak  of  many  of  the 
later  ones ;  but  that  it  is  wise  or  necessary  to  give  up  the  ship,  to  acknowledge — 
to  change  the  metaphor — in  the  language  of  the  prayer  book,  that  "  there  is  no 
health  in  us,"  I  can  not  believe.  The  paramountry  of  the  physiological  study  is 
freely  conceded.  That  a  service  of  greater  ultimate  practical  value  is  likely  to 
be  attained  through  the  prosecution  of  such  researches  than  is  to  be  expected 
from  the  continued  results  of  all  the  practical  feeding  experiments  put  together 
may  be  allowed.  One  can  not  help  but  doff  his  cap  to  the  respiration  calo- 
rimeter. Just  as  the  discovery  of  radium  has  compelled  the  acceptance  of  new 
conceptions  in  the  domains  of  chemistry  and  physics,  so  will  the  study  of  energy 
values  necessitate  a  revision  of  our  present  notions  as  to  the  fundamentals  of 
feeding  practice.  Doubtless  the  days  of  digestible  dry  matter  and  of  nutritive 
ratios  are  numbered.  They  have  served  and  are  serving  a  good  purpose,  but  in 
time  seem  likely  to  be  relegated  to  the  rear ;  in  the  language  of  the  street,  "  not 
yet — but  soon."  Pending  the  advent  of  that  day  there  seems,  to  the  writer  at 
least,  to  be  room  still  for  the  practical  feeding  trial  as  applied  to  dairy  experi- 
mentation, notwithstanding  the  fugitive  nature  of  the  results,  provided,  of  course, 
that  it  is  adequately  planned  and  its  conduct  properly  safeguarded. 


116 

The  writer  has  never  had  to  do  with  a  physiological  study.  It  would  he  pre 
sumptuous  on  his  part  to  attempt  to  outline  methods  of  Investigation  of  such  a 
Character;  nor  would  he  have  been  selected  for  such  a  task.  Nor,  indeed,  does 
he  now  recall  many  feeding  trials  of  this  nature  with  milch  cows.  Doubtless 
others  exist,  but  their  numbers  are  probably  comparatively  few.  It  has  fallen 
to  his  lot.  however,  to  conduct  relatively  large  numbers  of  trials  of  the  baser 
sort  and  to  have  made  attempts  during  the  past  decade  looking  toward  their 
standardization,  to  which,  with  other  matters  naturally  allied  thereunto,  brief 
allusion  may  be  made  as  a  basis  for  discussion. 

The  consideration  of  a  practical  feeding  trial  prior  to  its  inception  naturally 
divides  itself  into  three  parts — the  scheme,  the  animals,  their  environment. 
In  connection  with  the  scheme  one  naturally  takes  into  account  the  selection 
of  the  experimental  ration,  especially  the  particular  feed  under  survey;  the 
method  of  comparison  to  be  used,  as,  for  example,  whether  the  cows  or  the 
feed  shall  be  alternated  or  whether  a  prolonged  trial  shall  be  instituted,  as 
well  as  sundry  details  as  to  the  chemical  control  of  the  trial ;  under  the  head 
of  selection  of  animals,  numbers,  ages,  Stages  of  lactation,  hereditary  or 
inherent  tendencies  are  all  to  be  considered ;  while  under  the  last  head — 
environment — the  season,  in  or  out  door  life,  the  manner  of  feeding,  milking, 
etc.,  need  consideration.  And,  finally,  when  the  trial  is  finished  the  method 
of  presentation  of  results  deserves  careful  attention. 

The  scheme  of  experimentation,  if  the  trial  is  of  the  so-called  practical  type, 
naturally  is  designed  to  determine  the  relative  milk,  butter,  or  cheese  making 
properties  of  a  given  fodder,  feed,  or  ration.  The  outcome  is  naturally 
measured  in  terms  of  dairy  product,  of  money  product  or  both.  Its  successful 
conduct  necessitates  Such  a  plan  as  will  afford  competitive  rations  an  equal 
chance,  or,  in  other  words,  such  as  will  offer  to  the  particular  fodder  or  feed 
under  survey  an  opportunity  to  prove  its  worth,  which  shall  be  in  no  wax- 
greater  or  less  than  that  afforded  to  the  standard  with  which  it  is  compared. 

The  systems  of  measurement  commonly  used  are  four  in  number : 

(1)  Competitive  rations  are  fed  to  the  same  cows  in  successive  periods  in 
alternation :  Ration  A,  followed  by  Ration  B,  which  iu  turn  is  followed  by 
Ration  A.     This  constitutes  the  simple  alternation  system. 

(2)  Competitive  rations  are  fed  to  two  groups  of  cows  continuously.  Ration 
A  to  Group  X  and  Ration  B  to  Group  Y.  This  constitutes  the  continuous 
system. 

(3)  The  available  animals  are  divided  into  three  groups  as  nearly  as  may 
be  identical  in  make-up  and  in  probable  capacity  for  production.  To  one 
group  the  standard  ration  is  fed  continuously,  to  another  the  experimental 
ration  continuously,  while  to  the  third  group  are  fed  these  rations  in  alternation. 
The  groups  being  supposedly  so  constituted  as  to  be  capable  of  making  an 
essentially  similar  production  for  a  term  of  several  months  if  similarly  fed 
and  treated,  it  is  assumed  that  such  differences  in  yield  as  are  actually 
observed  when  divergencies  do  occur  coincident  with  changes  in  the  ration 
are  fair  measures  of  food  values.  This  constitutes  the  combined  continuous 
and   alternating   system. 

(4)  Competitive  rations  are  fed  to  two  groups  of  cows  for  an  indefinite 
length  of  time,  comprising  one,  two,  or  more  entire  lactations.  This  scheme 
has  not,  so  far  as  the  writer  knows,  been  named,  but  might  well  be  dubbed  the 
perpetual  system. 

The  first  and  third  systems  have  been  under  survey  at  the  Vermont  station 
for  many  years.  While  the  feeding  practice  at  that  institution  is  in  many 
respects  justly  open  1<»  criticism,  it  is  strong  in  at  least  one  point  in  that  the 
large  number  of  available  animals  permits  much  repetition  and  the  acquirement 
of  considerable  data  on  a  given  point.  The  writer's  judgment,  based  upon  the 
study  of  six  years'  trials  of  these  two  systems  of  measurement,  leads  him  to 
feel  that  if  similar  results  are  attained  with  each  the  likelihood  of  their 
essential  accuracy  is  fortified  by  the  dissimilarity  of  the  schemes  employed. 
It  further  impels  him  to  believe  that  ordinarily  when  the  outcomes  attained 
by  the  two  methods  are  more  or  less  unlike,  that  derived  by  the  use  of  the 
alternation  system  is  likely  to  be  the  more  trustworthy.  Indeed,  if  but  a  rela- 
tively limited  number  of  animals  are  available  for  use  the  method  of  alter- 
nation is  much  more  likely  to  yield  trustworthy  results.  However,  in  every 
case  a  careful   Interpretation  of  the  results  needs  to  be  made. 

This  statement,  however,  needs  qualification.  One  seeks  in  trials  of  this 
character  results  which  bid  fair  to  indicate  permanent  effects  rather  than  those 


117 

Of  a  merely  temporary  character.  It  has  been  abundantly  proven  that  data  ob- 
tained when  feeding  periods  are  but  two  or  three  weeks  long  are  not  truly  indic- 
ative; that,  indeed,  four-week  periods  are  not  long  enough  in  many  cases. 
Yet.  if  one  employs  the  alternation  system  and  extends  the  period  length  to 
seven  or  eight  weeks  and  uses  pregnant  cows,  the  changes  in  lactation  due  to 
this  condition  are  apt  to  introduce  as  serious  an  error  as  does  the  inordinate 
shortening  of  the  feeding  period.  The  writer's  personal  judgment,  based  on 
two  years"  comparative  trials  of  the  alternation  system  with  a  large  number  of 
cows  in  which  similar  rations  were  fed  in  periods  ranging  from  three  to  eight 
weeks  in  length,  leads  him  to  favor  a  feeding  period  five  or  six  weeks  long  as 
being  most  likely  to  avoid  both  Scylla  and  Oharybdis. 

But  there  have  arisen  of  late  years  grave  doubts  as  to  the  validity  of  data 
secured  by  the  alternation  system,  regardless  of  the  length  of  the  feeding  period, 
doubts  engendered  largely  by  results  attained  with  cows  uniformly  fed  for 
several  lactations.  Babcock's  unsalted  cows  and  Hecker's  low  protein  eaters, 
maintaining  apparent  normality  of  condition  and  of  milk  flow  for  months,  and 
in  some  cases  for  years,  before  such  a  state  of  lowered  vitality  occurred  as 
presaged  a  breakdown,  are  a  challenge  to  the  alternators.  It  is  understood, 
moreover,  that  data  obtained  by  the  last-named  investigator,  as  yet  unpub- 
lished, seem  likely  to  cause  him  to  modify  views  hitherto  published,  this 
changed  attitude  being  due  to  results  obtained  during  a  yet  longer  feeding  ex- 
perience with  the  same  cows  continuously  and  similarly  fed  for  a  long  series 
of  years.  And  yet  the  views  he  has  heretofore  enunciated  were  based  on  feeding 
trials  which  lasted  for  several  lactations.  Well  may  Thorne  pessimistically 
remark  that  "  we  need  to  extend  the  ninety-day  test  into  a  twelve-month  test, 
and  the  twelvemonth  test  must  grow  into  observations  extending  over  the 
entire  lifetime  of  a  very  large  number  of  individuals  before  perfection  in  this 
work  is  attained."  And  we  may  all  agree  with  him  when  he  further  says  that 
"  we  might  as  well  drop  the  three  or  four  week  test  altogether."  It  is  extremely 
doubtful  if  the  data  afforded  by  the  relatively  short  feeding  period  ordinarily 
employed  and  discussed  above — even  the  six-week  period — are  sufficient  to  afford 
an  accurate  measure  cf  the  physiological  effect  of  a  given  nutrient  or  food. 
Babeock  says  on  this  point  that  "  it  seems  likely  *  *  *  that  there  are  cer- 
tain reserve  forces  which  enables  an  animal  to  adapt  itself  to  adverse  condi- 
tions and  even  to  overcome  the  effect  of  malnutrition  for  much  longer  periods 
than  have  heretofore  been  considered  sufficient."  and  that  "  much  additional 
knowledge  concerning  the  physiological  influence  of  foods  may  be  gained,  and 
thereby  many  of  the  uncertainties  which  exist  to-day  regarding  feeding  prob- 
lems be  eliminated,  by  greatly  extending  the  experimental  periods." 

While  there  is  much  truth  in  this  general  contention,  such  extreme  prolon- 
gation of  a  feeding  trial  introduces  another  serious  error.  There  are  cows  and 
cows.  The  performances  of  apparently  similar  individuals  under  identical 
conditions  of  feed,  environment,  etc..  are  apt  to  be  so  unlike  as  to  make  such 
attempts  to  measure  food  values  difficult  of  execution  and  the  accuracy  of 
the  outcome  often  problematical.  In  short,  under  conditions  of  continuous 
feeding,  whether  lasting  fifteen  weeks,  fifteen  months,  or  thrice  that  time, 
questions  arise  as  to  the  equality  of  the  individuals  and  the  groups  which  make 
for  confusion.  He  who  can.  from  an  often  limited  number  of  animals,  formu- 
late groups  which  for  a  great  length  of  time  will  prove  essentially  equivalent 
in  their  milk-making  powers  is  gifted  with  second  sight.  In  short,  the  writer, 
while  willing  to  admit  that  the  advocate  of  feeding  experimentation  of  the  pro- 
longed type  has  in  some  respects  much  the  best  of  the  argument — indeed,  irre- 
futable arguments — contends  that  there  is  some  glass  about  his  edifice  and 
that  he  should  be  chary  with  his  brickbats. 

Whatever  system  of  measurement  is  used  it  is  desirable  to  maintain  as  close 
a  chemical  control  as  is  practicable.  A  few  analyses  of  samples  of  milk  taken 
at  odd  intervals,  even  though  made  by  careful  gravimetric  methods,  seem  less 
likely  to  be  truly  representative  than  will  constant  sampling  and  the  frequent 
analyses  of  composites  by  the  Babeock  and  the  lactometer,  checked  occasionally, 
perhaps,  by  gravimetric  work.  If  the  number  of  animals  under  observation  is 
small  enough  the  preparation  of  roughages  in  advance  is  desirable.  If  too  large 
to  admit  of  this  precaution,  frequent — say,  weekly  or  biweekly — samples  of  all 
roughages  and  concentrates  enables  one  to  keep  a  fairly  close  control  over  food 
income. 

Selection  of  animals — Numbers. — In  numbers  there  is  strength.  The  error 
of  the  personal  equation  is  thus  minimized.     Not  less  than  six  to  a  trial,  and 


118 

"the  more  the  merrier,"  should  be  used,  so  permuted  by  double  alternation,  if 
that  method  is  employed  as  regards  scheme  and  feeding,  as  to  lessen  the  effect 
upon  the  final  outcome  of  weather  and  other  changes.  For  a  decade  records 
of  cows  at  the  Vermont  station,  uniformly  fed  for  a  long  series  of  months,  have 
been  so  calculated  by  the  alternation  system  as  to  afford  testimony  as  to  the 
extent  of  the  experimental  error.  With  individual  cows  it  has  frequently  been 
considerable,  but  when  four  or  more  have  been  gathered  together  it  has  been 
invariably  proven  to  have  been  an  almost  negligible  quantity.  The  writer  is 
inclined  to  believe  that  the  results  obtained  with  considerable  numbers  of 
animals,  even  when  the  refinements  of  care  are  not  used  in  the  conduct  of  the 
trial,  are  likely  to  afford  more  nearly  correct  results  than  those  derived  from 
the  use  of  but  a  small  number  handled  with  extreme  precaution. 

Age. — A  relatively  immaterial  factor,  provided  that  heifers  and  aged  cows 
are  distributed  through  the  trials  in  such  manner  as  to  offset. 

>st<((/c  of  lactation. — Were  it  not  for  the  shrinkage  in  lactation,  trials  of  this 
character  would  be  more  easily  planned  and  executed  and  results  would  be 
more  certain.  It  does  not  seem  advisable  to  use  new  milch  cows  only.  The 
practical  feeder  has  to  feed  all  sorts — new  milch  and  strippers.  Those  in 
mid-lactation,  on  the  whole,  are  to  be  preferred  to  those  fresh  in  milk  as  more 
likely  to  give  an  even  flow  under  similar  conditions.  This  point  was  well 
brought  out  by  Beach,  who  shows  that  from  month  to  month  the  shrinkage  is 
greater  during  the  first  three  months  and  the  last  two  in  a  ten-month  lactation 
than  during  the  intermediate  five  months.  In  this  respect  a  September  calving 
cow  is  in  ideal  condition  in  northern  latitudes  for  alternation  trials.  If  cows 
are  used  which  are  likely  to  arrive  at  or  near  the  stripping  stage  toward  the 
end  of  the  trial,  they  should  be  so  distributed  through  the  trials  as  to  do  little 
harm  should  their  records  prove  inadequate. 

Hereditary  or  Inherent  tendencies. — Few  matters  in  connection  with  the 
formulation  of  the  scheme  for  a  feeding  trial  are  more  essential  than  a  close 
acquaintance  with  the  animals  to  be  used  and  a  careful  preliminary  study  of 
their  present  condition  and  previous  history.  It  is  always  an  unsatisfactory 
proposition  to  make  use  of  a  cow  in  feeding  trials  concerning  whose  idiosyncra- 
sies one  is  ignorant.  It  has  been  the  writer's  custom  in  the  preliminary  plan- 
ning of  feeding  trials  carefully  to  study  not  only  the  condition  of  each  animal 
at  the  moment,  but  thoroughly  to  review  her  past  history,  if  she  had  one;  to 
spend  days  in  the  study  of  accumulated  and  tabulated  data  prior  to  the  selection 
and  grouping  of  the  various  animals  for  the  coming  trials.  From  40  to  50 
cows  have  yearly  taken  part  in  these  trials.  To  have  jutted  certain  cows 
against  certain  others  would  have  been  to  have  invited  an  unsatisfactory 
outcome. 

Selection  of  feed. — It  is  not  a  difficult  thing  simply  to  pick  out  a  fodder  or 
feed  for  experimental  purposes.  One  may  make  a  comparative  study  of  this, 
that,  or  the  other  without  difficulty,  so  far  as  choice  is  concerned.  When,  how- 
ever, the  trial  material  is  supplemented,  as  it  should  be.  with  other  fodders  and 
feeds  to  form  an  acceptable  ration,  the  matter  becomes  complicated.  One 
always  feels  on  this  account  some  measure  of  doubt  as  to  the  validity  of  the 
results  attained  with  these  studies:  and  yet — particularly  if  the  material 
under  survey  is  a  concentrate — nothing  else  can  be  done. 

Environment. — The  changes  wrought  by  the  seasonal  environment  of  the 
animals  are  profound.  Barn  life  in  northern  New  England  in  January  and  in 
May  are  very  unlike,  and  this  dissimilarity  may  well  be  a  disturbing  factor. 
The  stable,  its  ventilation,  its  light,  its  arrangement,  doubtless  have  effect. 
The  manner  in  which  the  animals  are  fed,  the  care  which  is  taken  by  the  barn 
hands  to  make  weights  down  to  the  last  decimal,  the  completeness  of  milking — 
a  most  important  factor — the  possibility  of  error  of  observation,  or  Ignorance, 
of  carelessness,  of  intent;  in  short,  the  human  personal  equation,  all  have  to  be 
reckoned  with.  Yet  here  again,  in  the  writer's  judgment,  safety  lies  in  numbers. 
If  a  large  number  of  animals  is  used;  if  every  day  each  experimental  ration  is 
fed  to  some  of  the  trial  cows;  if  they  crisscross  in  the  shifts  from  one  ration 
to  another;  or.  in  other  words,  a  system  of  double  alternation  be  employed, 
the  irregularities  introduced  by  environmental  conditions  are  apt  to  be  mini- 
mized. For  nearly  twenty  years  a  careful  temperature  record  of  the  Vermont 
feeding  barn  has  been  kept  during  experimental  feeding.  Many  attempts 
have  been  made  to  trace  connection  between  extreme  cold,  for  instance,  and  the 


119 

milk  flow.  While  minor  changes  have  been  observed,  the  crisscross  above 
referred  to  has  served  to  nullity  the  effect  upon  the  final  result.  How  to  lessen 
the  error  introduced  by  the  personal  equation  is  a  local  question,  often  most 
difficult  of  solution.     I  have  no  ready  remedy  for  it,  and  am  eager  to  find  one. 

Repetition  and  cooperation. — If  the  results  attained  by  dairy  experimentation 
of  any  of  these  sorts  have  value,  that  value  is  enhanced  by  a  repetition  of 
trials  at  different  times  and  at  different  places.  It  has  been  the  writer's 
custom  to  repeat  feeding  trials  during  two  or  more  years.  It  seems  certain, 
moreover,  that  if  an  essential  consensus  of  judgment  as  to  the  details  of  feeding- 
trial  methods  be  arrived  at,  yet  greater  value  would  result  from  repetition  at 
different  points. 

Presentation  of  results. — Personally  the  writer  favors  a  very  full  presenta- 
tion of  data,  appendixed  so  far  as  possible,  the  essentials  only  to  be  included 
in  the  text.  He  likewise  favors  the  minimizing  of  explanatory  matter  and 
condensation  to  the  last  degree  practicable,  provided  that  clearness  and  accuracy 
of  the  statements  be  not  lost.  The  story  of  a  feeding  trial  is  less  interesting 
reading  than  is  Mr.  Dooley's  philosophy  and  words  should  not  be  wasted  in 
telling  it;  yet  it  is  doubtless  true  that  he  who  fears  diffuseness  is  apt  to  fall 
into  the  error  of  overconciseness.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  do  team  work  in  the 
matter  of  presentation  of  results  and  to  seek  the  advice  of  one's  colleagues  in 
other  lines.  If  our  botanist  fails  readily  to  grasp  the  meaning  of  a  statement 
made  by  the  chemist,  or  vice  versa,  the  assumption  is  that  the  lay  reader  will 
likewise  be  befogged,  and  the  statement  has  to  be  clarified.  The  nature  of  the 
trial,  as  well  as  the  audience  to  which  it  appeals,  naturally  influences  the  method 
of  presentation. 

H.  P.  Armsby,  of  Pennsylvania.  I  would  like  to  ask  the  speaker  if  in  his  feed- 
ing work  he  has  made  any  attempt  to  study  or  measure  what  might  be  called 
the  residual  effect  of  a  given  ration. 

J.  L.  Hills.  No  specific  study  of  that  kind  has  been  made.  Our  practice  has 
been  to  divide  the  five-week  feeding  period  into  preliminary  and  experimental 
portions,  and  utterly  to  disregard  the  results  obtained  during  the  first  twelve 
days.  I  have  frequently  observed,  however,  several  of  these  residual  effects, 
particularly  as  they  affect  the  quality  of  the  milk.  Whether  these  residual 
effects  would  entirely  pass  away  in  twelve  days  is  doubtful. 

A  Delegate.  I  know  something  of  the  residual  effects  as  they  exist  in  the  cow. 
It  may  be  observable  for  several  months;  in  fact,  the  results  are  observable 
for  months  afterwards.  The  ordinary  preliminary  feeding  will  not  eliminate 
their  effect  upon  the  result. 

Evening  Session,  Thursday,  November  15,  1906. 
The  section  was  called  to  order  at  8.30  p.  m.  by  the  chairman,  B.  C.  Buffum. 

Election  of  Officers  of  the   Section  and  Members   of  the   Executive 

Committee. 

L.  G.  Carpenter,  of  Colorado,  presented  the  following  report  for  the  committee 
on  nominations : 

Your  committee  on  nominations  for  the  section  of  experiment  station  work 
would  respectfully  recommend  as  officers  for  the  coming  year :  For  committee 
on  programme,  H.  J.  Waters,  of  Missouri ;  H.  T.  French,  of  Idaho,  and  C.  E. 
Thorne,  of  Ohio ;  for  chairman  of  the  section,  M.  A.  Scovell,  of  Kentucky ;  for 
secretary,  C.  E.  Thorne,  of  Ohio ;  for  members  of  the  executive  committee, 
W.  H.  Jordan,  of  New  York,  and  C.  F.  Curtiss,  of  Iowa. 

The  officers  named  were  duly  elected. 

H.  P.  Armsby,  of  Pennsylvania,  presented  the  following  paper : 


120 

Problems  of  Animal  Xi  tuition." 

Farm  animals  arc  kept  substantially  for  two  purposes — for  the  production 
of  work  and  for  the  production  of  human  food. 

As  regards  work  production,  wbile  it  is  true  that  horses  and  other  work 
animals  are  being  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  replaced  by  other  prime  motors, 
such  as  steam,  gasoline,  and  alcohol  engines,  and  the  electric  motor,  such  replace- 
ment has  not  vet  become  possible  on  the  small  farm  or  for  anything  like  all 
the  purposes  for  which  work  animals  are  kept.  The  production  of  work  is 
still,  and  is  likely  to  continue  to  be,  an  important  branch  of  animal  husbandry. 

The  Twelfth  Census  gives  the  number  of  horses  and  mules  over  2  years  old  in 
the  United  States  as.  in  round  numbers,  eighteen  and  one-fourth  million,  worth 
one  thousand  million  dollars.  Estimating  that  these  animals  work,  on  the 
average,  only  four  hours  per  day  and  generate  three-fourths  of  a  nominal  horse- 
power each,  we  have  the  equivalent  of  the  continuous  production,  night  and  day. 
of  over  two  and  one-fourth  million  horsepower,  or  nearly  one-third  the  total 
estimated  horsepower  of  Niagara  Falls,  and  many  times  what  is  actually 
utilized. 

Notwithstanding  the  importance  of  the  animal  as  a  prime  motor,  however, 
it  is  as  a  source  of  human  food  that  he  finds  his  principal  place  in  American 
agriculture. 

It  is  estimated  by  competent  authority  that  over  45  per  cent  of  the  food  con- 
sumption of  the  better  classes  in  the  United  States  consists  of  animal  and  dairy 
products.  Taking  into  account  the  relatively  higher  prices  of  these  materials, 
it  seems  safe  to  estimate  that  considerable  more  than  half  of  the  expenditure 
of  the  average  family  for  food  goes  for  this  class  of  materials.  Moreover,  what- 
ever, in  the  light  of  recent  discussion,  may  be  our  attitude  toward  vegetarianism. 
or  our  judgment  as  to  the  necessary  proteid  supply,  it  is  certainly  a  fact,  how- 
ever we  may  explain  it,  that  those  peoples  are  as  a  whole  most  efficient  which 
consume  a  reasonable  proportion  of  animal  food. 

There  were  killed  in  the  wholesale  slaughtering  and  packing  houses  of  the 
United  States,  in  1900,  5,500,000  cattle,  9,000,000  sheep,  and  .30,500.000  swine,  or  a 
total  of  45,000,000  animals,  estimated  to  be  worth  $683,000,000.  The  value  of 
animals  slaughtered  on  farms  was  estimated  at  $190,000,000,  making  a  total 
value  of  $873,000,000.  Adding  to  this  the  value  of  our  dairy  products,  about 
$433,000,000,  and  that  of  the  poultry  and  egg  production,  about  $282,000,000.  we 
have  a  total  of  about  $1,588,000,000  for  the  yearly  value  of  the  output  of 
animal  foods. 

For  both  of  the  purposes  just  named,  the  animal  utilizes  the  energy  originally 
derived  from  solar  radiation  and  stored  up  in  vegetable  products  by  the  syn- 
thetic action  of  the  chlorophyl.  The  point  of  economic  importance  in  this  con- 
nection is  that  these  enormous  aggregates  of  value  represent  to  a  considerable 
extent  a  utilization  of  the  potential  energy  of  inedible  products,  which  would 
otherwise  be  a  waste  so  far  as  food  value  is  concerned,  and  largely  so  as  a 
source  of  power.  This  is  true  on  the  one  hand  of  the  leaves,  stems,  husks, 
pods,  etc..  of  our  various  farm  crops — the  so-called  coarse  fodders — and  on  the 
other,  of  those  manufacturing  by-products  which  accumulate  in  the  preparation 
of  grains  and  other  raw  materials  for  human  consumption.  By  feeding  these 
products  to  our  domestic  animals  we  utilize  for  feeding  man  or  performing  his 
work  a  portion  of  their  stored-up  energy,  which  would  otherwise  be  practically 
an  entire  waste.  Of  course,  surplus  edible  products  are  also  utilized  in  stock 
feeding  and  in  this  country  very  largely  so.  This,  however,  can  only  be  re- 
garded as  a  temporary  phase1  of  our  agriculture.  While,  on  the  fertile  soil 
of  the  corn  belt,  it  is  often  found  more  profitable  to  convert  corn  into  beef  Ol" 
pork  than  to  market  it  directly,  as  the  density  of  population  and  the  de- 
mand for  breadstuff's  increases,  the  stock  feeder  will  be  more  and  more  con- 
strained to  the  use  of  the  cheaper  by-product  feeds  in  place  of  grain.  From 
the  economic  point  of  view.  then,  it  is  highly  important  that  that  portion 
of  our  national  wealth  represented  by  these  inedible  products  should  be  utilized 
to  the  best  advantage,  yielding  a  greater  aggregate  prolit  to  the  producer  and 
a  more  liberal  supply  of  animal  food  to  the  consumer. 

Time  prevents  more  than  a  mere  reference  to  the  important  relations  which 
subsist  between  animal  husbandry  and  the  preservation  of  soil  fertility.  While 
we  no  longer  regard  the  farm  animal  as  a  mere  manure  machine,  still  the  main- 
tenance of  the  fertility  of  the  farm  is  an  important  element  in  determining  the 


'Sec  also  Experiment  Station  Record,  18,  p.  508. 


121 

profits  of  stock  raising,  and  from  this  point  of  view,  as  well  as  from  that  of 
the  more  complete  utilization  of  solar  energy,  these  forms  of  agriculture  are 
to  be  preferred,  other  things  being  equal,  which  maintain  a  due  balance  between 
the  production  of  crops  and  of  animals. 

From  all  points  of  view,  then,  animal  husbandry  is  a  most  important  factor 
in  our  agriculture.  Into  the  many  exceedingly  interesting  and  important  ques- 
tions regarding  the  breeding  of  farm  animals.  I  shall  not  enter  at  this  time, 
both  from  lack  of  time  and  lack  of  qualification.  The  other  half  of  the  subject, 
however,  that  of  the  economic  feeding  of  these  animals,  is  certainly  of  at  least 
equal  .importance  with  that  of  their  breeding. 

The  experiment  stations  of  the  United  States  have  not  failed  to  recognize  the 
importance  of  this  branch  of  agriculture.  The  station  literature  of  the  last 
twenty  years  presents  an  imposing  array  of  bulletins  and  articles  treating  of  all 
phases  of  stock  feeding.  From  a  cursory  survey  we  should  be  led  to  suppose 
that  our  knowledge  of  the  subject  was  making  rapid  advances.  A  closer  exam- 
ination, however,  will  cause  some  modification  of  this  first  impression.  In  a 
paper  read  before  the  Graduate  Summer  School  of  Agriculture  last  July. 
Director  Jordan  presented  a  classified  list  of  the  subjects  of  the  bulletins  upon 
stock  feeding  issued  by  the  stations  for  the  years  1003,  1904,  and  1905,  which 
shows  some  rather  startling  facts.  Out  of  a  total  of  84  bulletins.  43  were 
reports  upon  comparative  tests  of  either  single  feeds  or  individual  rations. 
This  form  of  feeding  experiment  has  been  almost  as  great  a  favorite  as  its 
analogue,  the  variety  test,  and  the  results  have  scarcely  been  more  profitable  in 
the  one  case  than  in  the  other.  A  reasonably  diligent  compiler  could  readily  accu- 
mulate a  great  volume  of  data  derived  from  such  comparisons,  but  I  think  it 
very  doubtful  whether  the  results  reached  would  be  worth  the  labor.  I  venture 
to  question  whether  stock  feeders  in  general  have  derived  very  much  real  per- 
manent profit  from  this  class  of  experimental  work. 

Next  most  numerous  on  Jordan's  list  are  the  experiments,  7  in  number,  upon 
the  adaptability  of  certain  feeds  to  special  animals  or  purposes,  a  work  most 
useful  with  new  feeds,  and  yet  a  work  scarcely  demanding  more  appliances  or 
attention  than  could  be  given  it  by  a  good  practical  feeder.  Following  these 
come,  in  equal  numbers,  experiments  upon  the  substitution  of  home-grown  for 
commercial  feeds,  and  determinations  of  digestibility,  both  classes  represented 
by  5  bulletins.  The  class  first  named — substitution  experiments — are  of  un- 
doubted economic  value,  but  are  necessarily  of  more  or  less  local  applicability. 
As  regards  digestion  experiments.  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  later. 

Not  to  prolong  this  enumeration,  I  think  it  is  not  doing  injustice  to  the 
American  stations,  whether  we  judge  by  the  record  of  these  three  years  or  by 
our  general  knowledge  of  their  work,  to  say  that  while  their  investigations 
have  brought  to  light  or  demonstrated  to  the  farmer  many  useful  facts,  local  or 
otherwise,  they  have  served  only  to  a  very  subordinate  degree  to  reveal  princi- 
ples. The  latter  we  have  seemed  largely  content  to  borrow  from  foreign  investi- 
gators. To  say  this  is  not  to  deny  the  great  value  of  much  of  the  work  done  by 
our  stations,  nor  to  decry  the  publication  of  useful  information.  Nevertheless, 
the  experiment  stations  stand  before  the  country  as  the  representatives  of 
agricultural  science,  manned  or  presumed  to  be  manned  by  scientific  men.  As 
scientific  men  we  should  know  and  should  proclaim  that  permanent  progress 
in  agriculture  is  possible  only  through  the  establishment  of  principles.  One 
principle  well  founded  is  worth  a  thousand  facts,  because  it  includes  them  all. 
I  can  not  avoid  suspecting  that  the  principles  which  have  been  borrowed  from 
foreign  investigators  and  popularized  by  station  literature  and  in  other  ways 
have  done  quite  as  much  to  help  the  practical  feeder  as  our  own  experiments. 

But  how  do  matters  stand  with  our  borrowed  science  of  feeding?  Will  it 
stand  the  strain  we  are  putting  on  it? 

The  methods  of  comparing  the  values  of  feeds  and  rations  which  still  largely 
prevail,  date  back  almost  fifty  years  to  the  fundamental  investigations  of  Henne- 
berg  and  Stohmann  at  the  Weende  Experiment  Station,  in  Saxony,  begun  in  1858 
and  published  in  1860  and  subsequent  years.  Our  methods  for  the  analysis  of 
feeding  stuffs,  the  technic  of  digestion  experiments,  and  the  interpretation  of 
their  results,  are  all.  in  the  main,  what  were  formulated  by  these  investigators. 
They  grouped  the  digestible  organic  matters  of  feeding  stuffs  into  protein,  fat. 
and  carbohydrates,  the  latter  including  the  digestible  portion  of  the  "  crude 
fiber  "  and  of  the  ,4  nitrogen  free  extract."  and  the  values  of  feeds  were  esti- 
mated on  the  basis  of  the  amounts  of  these  nutrients  which  they  could  supply. 
Henneberg  and  Stohmann,  however,  were  fully  aware  of  the  fact  that  such 
investigation  into  the  content  of  feeding  stuffs  constituted  but  one-half  of  the 


122 

problem,  and  that  it  was  just  as  necessary  to  determine  with  equal  exactness 
the  real  nutritive  effect  produced  by  their  use.  In  1870,  in  an  introduction  to 
a  third  report  upon  their  work.  Ilenneberg  discussed  very  fully  the  methods  by 
which  this  nutritive  effect  could  he  determined,  with  the  aid  of  the  respiration 
apparatus,  on  the  hasis  of  his  familiar  conception  of  the  schematic  body.  Not 
only  this,  but  he  formulated  a  programme  of  systematic  investigations  and 
made  a  beginning  in  its  execution. 

The  determination  of  the  digestibility  of  the  nutrients  in  feeding  stuffs,  how- 
ever, could  he  much  more  easily  and  cheaply  accomplished  than  the  actual  de- 
termination of  their  nutritive  value  according  to  Henneberg's  programme.  The 
assumption  of  the  equal  value  of  protein,  carbohydrates,  and  fat  from  different 
sources  having  been  once  made,  it  was  perhaps  not  surprising  that  the  average 
experimenter  should  accept  this  assumption  and  follow  the  easier  path.  Almost 
innumerable  digestion  experiments  have  been  made  during  the  last  forty-five 
years,  on  the  hasis  of  which  tables  have  been  prepared  which  give  us  a  very 
good  general  idea  of  the  average  composition  and  digestibility  of  feeding  stuffs 
and  of  the  extent  of  their  variations.  Somewhat  later  so-called  "feeding 
standards "  were  propounded  in  which  it  was  attempted  to  formulate  the 
Si mounts  of  the  several  nutrients  best  adapted  to  the  various  purposes  of  pro- 
duction. The  general  acceptance  of  this  point  of  view  was  largely  brought 
about  by  the  writings  of  Wolff.  The  whole  made  a  complete  and  simple  system. 
So  much  is  required  for  a  certain  purpose.  This  feed  will  furnish  so  much  and 
the  other  so  much.  It  is  simply  a  question  of  arithmetic  to  work  out  a  suitable 
combination,  and  a  machine  has  even  been  devised  for  this  purpose. 

This  system  was  introduced  to  the  American  public  after  it  had  assumed  quite 
a  definite  form,  and  it  may  fairly  be  said  to  be  still,  to  a  considerable  extent. 
the  basis  of  our  theory.  We  question  some  of  the  standards — some  of  them  we 
have  modified — we  hold  them  more  flexibly  than  we  once  did — but  protein,  car- 
bohydrates, and  fat  are  still  the  feeding  trinity.  Our  theory  of  nutrition  has 
become  traditional,  and  has  little  pedagogic  value  for  the  student  and  little  in- 
spiration for  the  investigator.  As  a  natural  result  it  is  more  or  less  out  of 
touch  with  practice,  while  our  experiments  upon  the  theoretical  side  of  the  sub- 
ject have  been  marking  time. 

With  the  publication  of  the  results  obtained  by  Zuntz  and  his  associates  upon 
the  work  of  digestion,  and  of  Kiihn's  and  Kellner's  respiration  experiments  at 
Moeckern,  a  new  stage  of  progress  was  entered  upon,  to  which  I  venture  to 
hope  that  our  own  station  in  Pennsylvania  has  contributed  a  little.  While  the 
results  of  these  investigations  are  best  and  most  conveniently  expressed  in 
terms  of  energy,  that  is  not  the  essential  point.  The  vital  thing  is  that  in 
these  experiments  the  amount  of  production  due  to  each  material  experimented 
rpon  has  been  actually  determined  with  at  least  a  fair  degree  of  accuracy,  by 
the  laborious  methods  of  the  respiration  apparatus  or  the  respiration  calorim- 
eter. Enough  results  have  already  accumulated  to  show  that  many  of  the 
old  values  assigned  to  feeding  stuffs  vary  widely  from  the  truth.  In  particular 
these  investigations  have  demonstrated  the  inaccuracy  of  the  fundamental 
assumption  upon  which  we  have  been  basing  our  comparisons  of  feeding  stuffs, 
viz,  that  digestible  matter  from  different  sources  is  equally  valuable.  For 
example,  an  experiment  at  the  Pennsylvania  station  showed  the  digestible 
organic  matter  of  corn  meal  to  be  21  per  cent  more  efficient  for  maintaining  a 
steer  than  the  same  amount  of  digestible  matter  from  timothy  hay.  and  56  per 
cent  more  efficient  for  fattening.  Kellner  estimates  the  value  of  the  digestible 
matter  in  numerous  coarse  feeds  at  only  20  to  'AQ  percent  of  that  of  the  digestible 
matter  of  grains,  while  Zuntz  actually  computes  a  negative  result  for  the 
nutritive  value  of  straw  for  the  horse. 

In  the  face  of  such  differences  as  these,  with  what  Justification  can  we  calmly 
continue  to  publish  the  old  figures  for  digestible  nutrients  and  to  teach  our 
students  the  conventional  computation  of  rations? 

Nor  does  it  better  matters  much  to  add  to  our  tables  figures  for  the  so-called 
"fuel  values"  of  feeding  stuffs. 

In  the  first  place.,  the  figures  commonly  given  are  incorrect.  They  are  based 
in  most  cases  on  Rubner's  or  Atwater's  factors  for  human  dietaries,  and  while 
these  factors  have  been  shown  to  be  substantially  accurate  for  the  purpose  for 
which  they  were  intended,  they  have  also  been  shown  to  be  grossly  inaccurate 
when  applied  to  the  digestible  nutrients  of  stock  feeds,  the  results  being  too 
high,  in  some  cases  by  as  much  as  25  per  cent. 


123 

In  the  second  place,  even  if  these  energy  values  were  correct,  they  do  not 
help  us  much.  We  can  not  rejuvenate  the  old  tables  in  this  way.  The  writer 
is  fully  convinced  of  the  advantages  for  many  purposes  of  regarding  nutrition 
problems  from  the  standpoint  of  energetics,  but  it  needs  to  be  emphasized  that 
the  advantage  of  the  calorie  over  the  pound  is  simply  as  a  measure.  It  is  a 
better  measuring  stick  than  the  pound,  with  a  wider  range  of  uses,  but  it  is 
still  a  measuring  stick,  an  implement,  and  the  value  of  the  results  depend  on 
what  and  how  we  measure.  The  prime  failure  of  Henneberg's  successors  was 
not  in  the  units  which  they  used,  but  that  they  failed  to  measure  the  real 
nutritive"  effect  of  their  feeds  and  rations,  and  we  but  repeat  their  failure 
when  we  seek  to  make  progress  by  substituting  these  energy  values  for  the 
equivalent  amounts  of  matter.  It  is  doubtless  very  desirable  to  know  the 
amounts  of  digestible  matter  in  feeding  stuffs,  and  the  corresponding  quantities 
of  energy,  more  accurately  than  we  do  at  present,  but  neither  the  one  nor  the 
other  by  itself  gives  us  any  definite  information  as  to  the  use  made  by  the  organ- 
ism of  the  matter  or  energy  supplied  in  the  feed.  It  is  only  as  we  determine 
by  the  use  of  the  respiration  apparatus  or  calorimeter  (or  possibly  by  the  com- 
parative slaughter  test)  the  actual  changes  brought  about  by  the  feed  in  the 
store  of  matter  or  of  potential  energy  contained  in  the  body  that  we  can  reach 
a  scientifically  accurate  determination  of  the  nutritive  value  of  that  feed. 
Unless  we  do  this,  no  matter  how  accurately  we  may  analyze  the  feeding  stuffs 
supplied  or  determine  their  energy,  the  second  member  of  the  equation  is  lack- 
ing. We  stand  in  urgent  need  of  actual  determinations  by  modern  methods, 
of  the  nutritive  values  of  feeding  stuffs  for  different  purposes,  the  results  of 
which  we  may  substitute  for  the  assumptions  on  which  we  are  now  basing  our 
teachings. 

I  may  instance  in  particular  the  importance  of  determinations  of  the  mainte- 
nance values  of  feeding  stuffs,  in  which  a  beginning  has  been  made  by  the  Penn- 
sylvania station.  The  results  thus  far  reached  hardly  do  more  than  show  the 
need  for  further  investigation.  The  experiments  should  be  repeated  with  addi- 
tional animals  and  extended  to  cover  at  least  typical  members  of  the  different 
classes  of  feeding  stuffs.  Several  years'  work  might  profitably  be  expended  on 
this  single  branch  of  the  subject.  Were  this  done,  we  might  fairly  hope,  I 
think,  to  secure  approximate  factors  which  could  be  applied  to  those  feeds  whose 
maintenance  values  had  not  been  directly  determined.  If  successful,  we  should 
secure  an  indispensable  factor  for  the  discussion  of  the  results  of  productive 
feeding,  since  it  is  evident  that  we  must  know  how  much  of  our  ration  has 
served  simply  for  maintenance  before  we  can  rationally  consider  its  productive 
value. 

As  regards  the  production  values  of  feeding  stuffs,  we  are  better  off.  in  that 
we  have  the  results  of  Kellner's  elaborate  and  exceedingly  valuable  determina- 
tions. For  the  feeding  of  mature  fattening  cattle  it  seems  probable  that  the 
"production  values"  thus  worked  out  may  be  regarded  as  at  least  a  very  close 
approximation  to  the  truth.  Here  again,  however,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  we  are 
in  danger  of  repeating  the  mistakes  of  Henneberg's  successors.  Kellner  has  pub- 
lished quite  a  complete  table  of  actual  or  computed  production  values.  It  would 
not  be  surprising  if  there  should  develop  a  tendency  to  accept  these  values  as 
measuring  the  worth  of  feeding  stuffs  for  all  productive  purposes.  In  other 
words,  there  is  danger  that  we  may  rest  in  an  assumption  instead  of  actually 
determining  the  facts  for  ourselves.  The  results  of  our  Pennsylvania  experi- 
ments certainly  indicate- that  the  values  for  maintenance  are  higher  than  those 
for  production.  It  would  not  be  at  all  surprising  if  the  production  values  for 
different  purposes,  or  for  different  classes  of  animals,  should  prove  to  be  mate- 
rially different.  At  any  rate,  we  have  no  warrant  in  advance  of- investigation  for 
assuming  that  they  are  identical.  We  need  similar  determinations,  by  equally 
rigorous  methods,  of  the  productive  values  for  other  purposes.  Here,  again. 
we  have  a  vast  field  open  to  the  qualified  and  patient  investigator  equipped 
with  the  necessary  appliances. 

It  may  be  objected  that  investigations  such  as  those  just  outlined  are  to  a 
degree  empirical.  They  treat  a  single  feeding  stuff  as  an  entity,  while  as  a 
matter  of  fact  it  is  not.  We  can  determine  the  net  available  energy  of  a  given 
sample  of  timothy  hay.  but  we  can  hardly  be  said  to  determine  the  available 
energy  of  timothy  hay.  The  justification  for  making  such  determinations  lies  in 
the  fact  that  they  promise  to  yield  approximately  correct  and  useful  results 
within  a  reasonable  time.     Too  great  emphasis  can  hardly  be  laid  upon  the 


124 

importance  of  studies  of  the  physiological  values  of  individual  chemical  ingredi- 
ents. Such  results  when  once  established  are  definite,  because  they  refer  to  a 
definite  substance;  but  <>n  the  other  hand,  it  will  he  a  long  time  before  sufficient 

results  of  this  sort  are  accumulated  to  furnish  a  sufficient  hasis  for  a  science  of 
feeding. 

Finally,  mention  at  least  should  he  made  of  the  importance  of  research  upon 
the  influence  of  condiments;  that  is.  of  the  various  flavoring  and  aromatic  sub- 
stances  contained  in  feeding  stuffs — what  the  Germans  call  Reizstoffe,  which 
might  he  translated  stimulants  were  it  not  for  the  unfortunate  connotation  of 
that  word.  We  know  that  these  siabstances  exert  an  important  influence  upon 
the  nutritive  processes  in  the  animal,  hut  beyond  this  our  knowledge  is  vague 
and  qualitative. 

The  lines  of  investigation  thus  far  suggested  have  to  do  with  the  relative 
values  of  feeding  stuffs.  The  general  applicability  of  any  such  results,  however, 
has  been  questioned  because  of  varying  individuality  in  animals.  That  such 
variations,  and  striking  ones,  do  exist  is  undeniable.  It  is  not  difficult,  how- 
ever, to  suggest  plausible  explanations  for  them  other  than  differences  in  the 
physiological  utilization  of  the  nutrients  digested.  For  example,  if  of  two 
animals  one  has  a  maintenance  requirement  5  per  cent  greater  than  the  other, 
due  perhaps  to  greater  restlessness  of  disposition,  the  quieter  animal  will  do 
better  than  the  more  restless  one  upon  a  given  ration,  not  hecause  it  uses  its  food 
physiologically  to  better  advantage,  hut  simply  because  it  has  more  left  for 
productive  purposes  after  meeting  the  needs  of  maintenance.  So,  too,  if  of  two 
animals  otherwise  identical,  one  is  able  to  consume  continuously  10  per  cent 
more  food  than  the  other,  it  is  obvious  that  a  correspondingly  larger  proportion 
of  its  food  is  available  for  productive  purposes,  since  the  same  amount  must 
be  subtracted  for  maintenance  in  both  cases.  I  instance  these  simply  as  pos- 
sible explanations,  without  intending  to  assert  that  they  or  similar  ones  are  suffi- 
cient to  account  for  all  the  observed  difference.  The  point  is  that  the  question 
is  one  needing  investigation. 

In  the  first  place  the  maintenance  requirements  of  different  species  of  ani- 
mals and  their  variation,  both  as  to  proteids  and  total  food,  should  be  more 
fully  investigated.  At  the  present  time  only  the  data  for  cattle  can  be  regarded 
as  fairly  satisfactorily.  Such  results  are  indispensable  for  the  rational  study 
of  the  results  of  practical  feeding  experiments.  The  influence  of  such  fac- 
tors as  breed,  individuality,  weight,  and  condition  on  the  maintenance  re- 
quirement should  be  examined,  as  well  as  such  external  factors  as  the  influence 
of  the  surrounding  temperature  and  of  the  greater  or  less  incidental  activity 
of  the  animal. 

By  careful  methods  much  valuable  information  regarding  the  actual  mainte- 
nance requirement  of  animals  may  be  gathered  by  a  combination  of  live  weight 
and  digestion  experiments.  When,  however,  we  come  to  ask  whether  the  main- 
tenance value  of  a  given  feeding  stuff,  or  in  other  words  the  net  availability  of 
its  energy,  varies  with  the  animal  to  which  it  is  fed,  the  aid  of  the  respiration 
apparatus  or  calorimeter  is  indispensable. 

We  need  also  experiments  upon  the  food  requirements  for  production  of 
various  sorts.  I  can  pause  only  to  indicate  a  few  of  the  problems  under  this 
head. 

First,  we  have  the  proteid  requirement.  The  question  of  the  minimum  proteid 
requirement  has  been  brought  to  the  fore  by  the  investigations  of  Chittenden 
and  others  upon  human  nutrition.  Since  protein  is  usually  the  most  expensive 
ingredient  of  rations,  we  need  determinations  of  the  actual  amounts  required, 
for  instance,  for  growth  at  different  ages.  It  would  be  interesting  to  determine 
whether  there  are  individual  differences  in  the  rate  of  growth  of  proteid  tissue, 
and  whether  this  rate  of  growth  can  be  stimulated  by  an  excess  of  pro- 
teids in  the  ration.  Similarly,  for  milk  production,  we  attribute  a  stimulat- 
ing effect  to  the  proteid  supply  in  excess  of  that  appearing  in  the  milk  and 
excreta,  but  have  we  any  real  demonstration  of  such  a  fact?  In  the  case  of 
our  working  animals  we  know  that  the  work  is  done  largely  at  the  immediate 
expense  of  the  uonnitrogenous  nutrients;  but  have  the  proteids  no  function  in 
the  matter,  and  is  the  universal  practice  of  athletes,  for  example,  to  consume 
large  amounts  of  proteid  food  a  mere  habit  or  tradition,  and  of  no  significance 
to  us  in  the  feeding  of  work  animals?  Questions  such  as  those  last  indicated 
can,  of  course,  be  studied  from  the  standpoint  of  the  nitrogen  balance  of  the 
body,  but  the  history  of  investigations  upon  work  production  makes  it  evident 
that  a  comprehensive  study  of  the  subject  requires  also  a  study  of  the  total 


125 

metabolism,  and  this  again  necessitates  the  use  of  the  respiration  apparatus  or 
calorimeter. 

Variations  in  the  total  food  demand  due  to  individuality,  age,  weight,  condi- 
tion, and  the  like,  appeal  for  solution,  and  that  solution  can  be  reached  only 
by  accurate  scientific  methods.  Similarly,  in  milk  production  the  question  of 
the  factors  influencing  the  distribution  of  the  food  between  milk  and  tissue  pro- 
duction needs  thorough  investigation.  Again,  the  influence  of  such  factors  as 
temperature,  water  consumption,  exposure  to  storms,  humidity  of  the  air,  and 
the  like  need  be  only  mentioned  to  show  the  need  for  further  systematic  inves- 
tigation. 

Finally,  a  mere  mention  of  the  influence  of  feed  upon  the  quality  of  the 
product  must  serve  to  simply  hint  at  a  most  fertile  field  of  investigation. 

But  because  I  have  thus  far  dwelt  almost  exclusively  upon  the  scientific  and 
almost  recondite  aspects  of  the  study  of  feeding,  I  would  not  be  thought  to  hold 
that  this  is  the  only  kind  of  work  that  ought  to  be  undertaken,  or  that  no  one 
should  venture  upon  the  field  with  any  less  formidable  equipment  than  a  diges- 
tion stall  and  an  Atwater  bomb,  not  to  say  the  heavy  artillery  of  respiration 
apparatus  and  calorimeter.  The  sling  may  still  prove  a  formidable  weapon,  if 
wielded  by  the  hand  of  a  David,  and  the  smooth  pebble  from  the  brook  may 
still  do  its  wonted  execution.     It  is  largely  a  question  of  aim. 

The  discovery  and  establishment  of  natural  principles  and  laws  requires  the 
rigorous  methods  of  physical  and  chemical  research.  By  this  path  alone  can 
we  hope  to  attain  a  clear  and  definite  quantitative  conception  of  the  processes 
of  nutrition.  But  this  alone  is  no  more  sufficient  than  the  practical  feeding  ex- 
periment. We  are  dealing  with  an  applied  science,  and  our  task  is  only  half 
completed  when  we  have  established  the  fundamental  principles  of  nutrition. 
We  are  under  an  equal  obligation  to  show  how  these  principles  apply  to  the 
practical  problems  of  feeding,  and  for  this  purpose  nothing  can  take  the  place 
of  actual  experiments  under  the  conditions  of  practice.  If  our  practical  experi- 
ments in  the  past  have  not  been  fruitful  of  general  results  it  is  not  because 
they  have  been  practical,  but  rather  because  they  have  not  been  so  in  the  best 
sense.  In  too  many  cases  they  have  lacked  aim.  They  have  not  been  informed 
by  that  comprehensive  view  of  the  whole  subject  which  constitutes  the  essence 
of  science  and  so.  addressing  themselves  to  petty  temporary  or  local  questions, 
have,  while  admirable  in  their  technical  detail,  failed  to  materially  advance  our 
knowledge.  The  more  thorough  and  exhaustive  our  scientific  studies  of  nutri- 
tion become  the  greater  will  be  our  need  for  correlated  practical  experiments, 
scientifically  planned  to  answer  definite  questions  regarding  the  application  in 
practice  of  the  principles  worked  out  in  the  laboratory  or  the  respiration 
apparatus. 

While  this  paper  was  in  course  of  preparation  I  received  from  one  of  the  lead- 
ing investigators  in  animal  husbandry  in  this  country  a  letter  containing  a 
number  of  inquiries  regarding  certain  points  in  animal  nutrition.  If  designed 
to  reveal  my  limited  knowledge  of  the  subject  the  letter  was  an  unqualified 
success.  To  nearly  all  the  inquiries  I  was  compelled  to  return  either  conjec- 
tures or  a  simple  "  I  don't  know."  I  was,  however,  greatly  interested  in  the 
letter  from  two  points  of  view.  In  the  first  place,  it  illustrates  the  possibility 
of  which  I  have  just  been  speaking,  namely,  securing  results  of  general  value 
from  practical  experiments.  The  investigations  which  this  gentleman  has 
been  carrying  on  have  related  primarily  to  questions  of  practice,  yet  he  has 
been  able  to  plan  his  experiments  and  study  his  results  so  as  to  give  them  an 
important  bearing  upon  certain  questions  regarding  the  principles  of  nutrition. 
In  the  second  place,  the  letter  illustrates  the  inadequacy  of  the  practical  ex- 
periment alone  and  the  necessity  for  scientific  investigation  along  parallel  lines. 
His  experiments  and  experience  raised  questions  which  could  not  possibly  be 
answered  by  such  experiments,  and  yet  they  were  questions  which  he,  as  a 
practical  man,  found  of  importance.  His  results  would  be  of  very  great  value 
in  confirming  or  checking  the  conclusions  from  scientific  investigations,  yet, 
taken  by  themselves,  they  wTere  indecisive  and  capable  of  more  than  one 
interpretation. 

Systematic  studies  of  the  practice  of  successful  feeders  should  aid  largely 
in  this  phase  of  the  work.  We  might.  I  believe,  find  an  important  field  for 
similar  investigation  in  the  feeding  experiments  recorded  in  the  bulletins  and 
reports  of  the  stations.  These  experiments  have  been  conducted  and  reported 
with  far  greater  care  than  are  or  can  be  the  operations  of  the  practical  feeder. 
Doubtless  a  wise  criticism  would  have  to  be  exercised  in  their  selection  and  dis- 


3  26 

eussion.  but  they  constitute  an  almost  unworked  mine  of  valuable  material.  To 
Cite  a  single  personal  illustration  :  The  writer  has  somewhat  recently  under- 
taken a  comparison  of  a  few  of  the  more  readily  available  station  experiments 
upon  the  fattening  of  cattle  with  reference  to  the  proteid  requirements  of  such 
animals.  The  results  need  not  be  quoted  here ;  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  they 
showed  a  strikingly  good  general  agreement,  and  to  that  extent  seem  calculated 
to  furnish  a  good  guide  for  practice.  Had  it  been  possible  to  make  a  systematic 
search  of  station  literature,  doubtless  the  available  data  might  have  been  largely 
increased,  but  such  an  undertaking  is  usually  beyond  the  capacity  of  the  indi- 
vidual investigator. 

This  last  suggestion  leads  naturally  to  the  consideration  of  a  third  line  of 
activity,  namely,  the  compilation  and  critical  discussion  of  the  literature  of 
animal  nutrition,  so  far  as  it  is  of  value  to  the  stock  feeder.  As  a  matter  of 
course,  such  study  and  compilation  would  accompany  the  scientific  investigations 
already  suggested,  but  in  addition  there  is  a  vast  amount  of  recorded  data. 
both  American  and  foreign,  available,  out  of  which  much  valuable  information 
might  be  dug  which  would  serve  to  check  and  correct  our  conclusions  from  small- 
scale  experiments.  The  work  needs  to  be  done,  but  its  volume  almost  dis- 
courages one  from  making  an  individual  beginning.  In  brief,  we  need,  parallel 
with  scientific  investigation  into  principles,  a  comprehensive  sifting,  working 
over,  and  systematizing  of  the  facts  already  on  record. 

I  have  thus  endeavored,  after  pointing  out  the  economic  importance  of  the 
subject,  to  indicate  the  unsatisfactory  nature  of  our  present  knowledge  regard- 
ing the  principles  of  stock  feeding,  and  the  need  of  broadly  planned  investiga- 
tions in  this  field,  and  have  ventured  the  attempt  to  outline  in  general  terms 
some  of  the  investigations  needed.  There  still  remains  to  be  considered  the 
administrative  question  of  how  systematic  investigations  of  the  sort  needed 
can  be  most  effectively  promoted,  and  this  again  is  part  of  the  broader  question 
of  how  far  fundamental  investigations  into  principles  can  legitimately  and 
reasonably  be  expected  from  our  institutions  for  agricultural  research. 

No  simple  and  categorical  answer  is  possible  to  this  question.  Diverse  condi- 
tions and  abilities  must  always  be  reckoned  with.  At  the  same  time  certain 
things  may  be  suggested,  with  special  reference  to  this  particular  subject,  but 
of  more  or  less  general  application.  It  may  be  remarked,  in  the  first  place, 
that  in  any  such  undertaking,  whether  along  the  lines  suggested  by  this  paper 
or  relating  to  other  subjects,  there  is  need  for  a  degree  of  coordination  of  effort. 
I  am  well  aware  that  I  am  here  treading  on  delicate  ground,  but  without  stirring 
up  smoldering  fires  may  we  not  freely  and  fully  recognize  the  fact  that  while 
duplication  of  work,  of  which  we  have  heard  so  much,  far  from  being  discour- 
aged, should  be  encouraged,  a  certain  common  understanding  of  the  broader 
features  of  the  problem  and  of  the  most  promising  means  of  approach  to  it — to  a 
degree,  even  a  programme — is  essential  to  satisfactory  progress? 

The  fact  is  we  have  been  carrying  on  a  guerrilla  warfare  around  the  edges  of 
the  subject.  Indeed,  in  pessimistic  moments,  I  have  sometimes  feared  that 
our  stations  and  colleges  have  been  quite  as  successful  in  capturing  prizes  at 
fat-stock  shows  as  in  developing  the  "science  of  feeding  or  imparting  pedagogic 
value  to  the  subject.  What  we  need  is  to  plan  a  campaign  against  the  un- 
known. Let  me  hasten  to  add,  however,  that  this  military  metaphor,  like  all 
others,  should  not  be  made  to  "go  on  all  fours."  It  does  not  necessarily  imply 
military  discipline  or  a  commander  in  chief.  What  is  important  at  the  present 
time  is  that  there  should  be  some  means  of  inspiring  and  promoting  serious  and 
systematic  work  in  this  field,  guided  by  a  broad  view  of  the  subject. 

'Hie  writer  hopes  to  be  able  to  contribute  something  to  the  progress  of  science 
along  this  line  and  recognizes  gratefully  that  circumstances  have  put  greater 
opportunities  at  his  disposal  in  some  particulars  than  most  of  our  investigators 
have  hitherto  enjoyed,  but  a  few  workers  in  a  single  institution  seem  like  a 
forlorn  hope  when  we  contemplate  the  vast  territory  to  be  occupied.  We  need  a 
dozen  calorimeters  instead  of  one.  Above  all.  we  need  some  means  of  guiding 
and  to  a  degree  coordinating  the  work  of  the  younger  men  in  our  stations  with- 
out depriving  them  of  their  initiative  or  of  their  individual  credit  for  their 
investigations.  Moreover,  we  need  provision  in  some  way  for  what  may  be 
called  the  drudgery  of  the  work,  for  the  computation  of  results,  for  the  compila- 
tion of  literature,  and  other  work  of  the  sort. 

How  this  shall  be  accomplished  I  am  far  from  undertaking  to  say.  The  sta- 
tions as  a  rule,  1  think,  appreciate  the  Importance  of  the  matter,  but,  as  I  took 
occasion  to  say  recently  in  another  connection,  the  pressure  upon  those  in 
responsible  charge  of  our  experiment  stations  for  results  of  immediate  utility 
is  such  that  it  requires  exceptional  conviction  and  courage  to  set  aside  liberal 


127 

sums  for  pure  scientific  research.  The  United  states  Department  of  Agri- 
culture has  the  advantage  of  a  broader  constituency,  and  to  a  certain  degree. 

of  larger  freedom  in  its  choice  of  subjects  for  investigation,  yet  it.  too.  perhaps 
even  more  than  the  stations,  feels  the  pressure  for  popular  approval.  The 
problem  is  really  one  of  educating  our  constituency. 

It  seems  yet  an  open  question  how  far  it  will  prove  possible  for  the  experi- 
ment stations,  with  their  pressing  practical  problems,  to  enter  vigorously  and 
aggressively  into  pure  scientific  research  in  the  immediate  future,  either  in 
this  or  other  fields.  The  passage  of  the  Adams  Act  has  made  this  a  live 
question,  and  it  is  most  earnestly  to  he  hoped  that  this  fund  will  he  used 
scrupulously  in  accordance  with  the  spirit  as  well  as  the  letter  of  the  law  and 
that  the  reflex  influence  of  this  will  extend  to  expenditures  under  the  Hatch 
Act  as  well.  State  problems  should  he  studied  at  the  expense  of  the  State, 
and  the  national  funds  used  for  those  broader  investigations  which  are  to 
henefit  the  whole  country.  It  is  to  these  funds  and  to  those  of  the  National 
Department  of  Agriculture  that  we  must  look  for  the  promotion  of  compre- 
hensive schemes  of  fundamental  investigation  whose  results  will  become  the 
common  property  of  investigators  everywhere. 

I  am  inclined  to  see  possibilities  for  larger  service  in  this  direction  on  the 
part  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  than.  I  think,  are  some  of 
my  colleagues.  Suppose,  for  example,  that  the  Department  were  able  to  under- 
take a  comprehensive  scheme  of  investigation  upon  stock  feeding  correspond- 
ing to  that  which  it  is  conducting  so  successfully  in  human  nutrition.  While 
the  Department  could  hardly  hope  to  find  an  Atwater  to  organize  and  direct 
the  undertaking,  yet  with  even  a  moderate  degree  of  tact  it  surely  ought  to 
he  able  to  attract  the  interest  and  confidence  of  the  stations  to  its  work,  so  that 
it  would  be  to  their  manifest  advantage  to  correlate  their  investigations  with 
its  own.  whether  officially  or  unofficially.  For  one.  I  can  hardly  doubt  that 
such  a  course  patiently  adhered  to.  without  effort  for  notoriety  and  depending 
on  moral  authority  alone,  would  he  a  powerful  influence  in  favor  of  unity  of 
work  and  of  the  study  of  fundamental  questions  by  scientific  methods,  as  well 
as  in  training  men  in  the  methods  of  investigation.  That  the  same  methods 
might  lie  applied  to  quite  other  lines  of  investigation  is.  of  course,  too  obvious  to 
require  mention.  Indeed,  it  is  a  phase  of  the  vexed  question  of  cooperation 
which  seems  to  me  well  worth  careful  thought — the  essence  of  the  method,  of 
course,  lying  in  the  personality  of  its  executor. 

After  all  is  said,  however,  it  may  he  questioned  whether,  in  the  present 
temper  of  the  public  mind,  the  more  abstract  forms  of  scientific  research  can 
he  adequately  maintained  by  institutions  dependent  entirely  upon  taxation  for 
their  support.  The  average  taxpayer  has  come  to  have  a  considerable  degree 
of  confidence  in  scientific  investigation,  hut  he  does  not  like  long-term  invest- 
ments. He  wants  to  see  results,  or  at  least  the  definite  prospect  of  results. 
within  a  comparatively  short  time.  This  doubtless  has  its  wholesome  side  as 
a  discourager  of  dawdling  and  dileltanteism.  hut  on  the  other  hand  the  public 
has  yet  to  learn  that  "  the  search  for  knowledge  with  exclusive  reference  to 
its  practical  application  is  generally  unrewarded." 

I  believe  that  the  question  of  the  permanent  endowment  of  research  in  agri- 
cultural science,  either  in  special  institutions  or  in  our  great  universities,  is 
:i  subject  well  deserving  the  consideration  of  all  interested  in  agricultural  prog 
ress,  and  that  an  investment  of  this  sort  would  yield  richer  returns  of  honor 
and  satisfaction  to  the  donor  than  many  a  memorial  pile  or  stately  library. 

Nor  are  the  amounts  required  large  as  compared  with  the  magnitude  of  the 
interests  involved.  Thus,  to  take  the  single  subject  of  this  paper,  a  sum  suffi- 
cient not  only  to  equip,  hut  to  permanently  endow,  an  institution  for  research  in 
animal  nutrition  far  superior  to  any  now  in  existence  anywhere  would  equal 
less  than  one-twentienth  of  1  per  cent  of  the  value  of  our  live  stock  and  dairy 
products  in  a  single  year.  Two  cents  per  $100  upon  the  average  value  of  the 
live  stock  handled  yearly  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards  for  the  last  five  years  would 
amply  equip  such  an  institution,  and  a  liberal  revenue  for  its  maintenance 
would  amount  to  1  cent  per  head  upon  the  cattle  alone  slaughtered  yearly  in 
Chicago.  But  the  endowment  of  research  in  agriculture  is  too  large  a  subject 
to  be  entered  upon  at  the  close  of  a  paper  of  this  length,  and  I  forbear  to  tax 
your  patience  further. 

I  am  conscious  of  having  spoken  with  a  certain  degree  of  personal  bias  in 
urging  as  I  have  done  the  importance  of.  and  necessity  for.  fundamental  investi- 
gations  in  a  branch  of  science  in  which  I   am  deeply   interested.     For  this  I 

2('i"HO—  No.  184—07  m 9 


128 

make  n»>  apology.  If  anything  which  I  have  s;ii»l  proves  of  service  in  pro- 
motiug  scientific  investigation  in  any  branch  of  agriculture,  I  shall  feel  amply 
justified. 

W.  II.  Jordan,  of  New  York.    The  paper  to  which  we  nave  listened  is  certainly 

an  able  presentation  of  the  subject  which  it  treats.  Two  or  three  points  have 
occurred  to  me  on  which  I  would  like  to  comment  briefly. 

I  trust  that  young  men  who  would  like  to  engage  in  investigations  in  animal 
nutrition  will  not  feel  that  extensive  and  costly  equipments  are  necessary  for 
the  study  of  nutrition  problems.  There  is  much  that  can  he  done  without  a 
respiration  apparatus.  With  such  an  apparatus  we  arrive  at  knowledge  that 
is  very  important,  such  as  the  balances  of  matter  and  energy  under  given  con- 
ditions and  the  influence  of  various  conditions  upon  metabolic  processes,  the  use 
of  energy,  and  so  on.     There  are  other  important  problems,  however. 

For  instance,  a  digestion  experiment  is  not  as  simple  a  matter  as  it  was  once 
supposed  to  he.  The  fact  is  we  are  even  now  practically  unable  to  determine 
the  real  undigested  residue.  We  can  not  separate  this  residue  from  metabolic 
waste  products  with  any  degree  of  accuracy.  We  have  learned  also  that  com- 
pounds which  have  been  absorbed  into  the  circulation  are  returned  to  the 
alimentary  canal  for  excretion.  We  have  right  here.  then,  problems  that  should 
command  the  attention  of  the  very  best  scientific  ability  for  a  period  of  years. 

A  study  of  the  functions  of  nutrients  offers  a  very  attractive  field.  We  know 
something  of  the  general  uses  of  what  we  call  protein,  carbohydrates,  and  fats, 
constructively,  and  as  to  other  functions,  hut  our  knowledge  is  limited  as  to  the 
difference  in  function  of  individual  compounds.  We  have  done  a  great  deal  of 
quantitative  work  in  animal  nutrition  and  have  studied  the  influence  of  varying 
nutritive  conditions  upon  production,  and  now  we  should  give  more  attention  to 
the  relation  of  individual  compounds  to  the  physical  status  of  the  animal.  Here 
is  a  Held  that  may  he  made  very  fruitful  of  important  results  without  the  aid 
of  an  expensive  apparatus,  and  I  trust  there  are  a  few  young  men  at  least  com- 
ing forward  who  will  have  enthusiasms  along  this  line. 

At  the  end  of  his  paper  Doctor  Armsby  referred  to  the  attitude  of  the  public 
toward  long-continued  investigations.  I  regard  the  situation  as  very  hopeful  in 
(his  respect.  There  is  an  intelligent  minority  among  the  agricultural  public 
that  has  come  to  realize  the  supreme  value  of  a  study  of  fundamental  truths. 
This  is  because  the  large  practical  results  from  certain  severe  and  long-continued 
investigations  along  chemical  and  biological  lines  have  become  very  evident. 
Intelligent  farmers  have  come  to  see  the  foolishness  of  superficial  work.  I  have 
faith  that  our  constituencies  will  stand  by  us  so  lonjr  as  they  are  convinced  that 
we  are  earnestly  seeking  truth  in  the  interests  of  agriculture  and  they  will  wait 
patiently  until  we  are  ready  to  announce  our  conclusions. 

Report  ok  Committee  on  Unification  ok  Terms  Used  en  Chemical  Analysis. 

('.  (',.  Hopkins,  of  Illinois,  read  the  following  report  : 

Your  committee  has  been  working  in  cooperation  with  a  similar  committee 
from  the  Association  of  Official  Agricultural  Chemists,  and  the  following  report 
is  in  harmony  with  a  report  already  made  to  that  association  by  its  own  com- 
mittee, on  which  action  was  postponed  for  one  year. 

The  subject-matter  referred  to  your  committee  naturally  divides  itself  into 
two  classes,  one  of  which  includes  soils,  fertilizers,  ash.  and  other  materials 
whose  analysis  may  he  expressed  in  terms  of  chemical  elements  or  in  simple 
compounds;  while  the  other  class  includes  foodstuffs,  condiments;  and  other 
materials  whose  analysis  may  hest  he  expressed  in  terms  of  more  complex  com- 
pounds, or  groups  of  compounds,  which  actually  compose  or  are  contained  in 
the  material. 


129 

sons.    FERTILIZERS,    ETC. 

Special  efforts  have  been  made  during  the  past  two  years  to  secure  a  lull  con- 
sideration, especially  by  directors  of  experiment  stations,  chemists,  ami  agrono- 
mists, of  the  question  whether  it  is  better  to  continue  to  report  analyses  of  soils 
and  fertilizers  on  the  basis  of  ox  ids  (excepting  nitrogen,  which  is  aready  most 
commonly  reported  as  the  element),  or  to  report  such  analyses  on  the  uniform 
basis  of  the  chemical  elements. 

Several  circular  letters  have  been  sent  out.  and  in  answer  to  this  question  85 
replies  have  been  received.  Of  these  there  were  21  making  comments,  but 
expressing  no  definite  or  final  opinion  on  the  question  :  there  were  lb,  including 
12  chemists,  who  favor  retaining  the  present  system:  while  there  were  17  chem- 
ists. 16  agronomists,  and  15  directors  and  other  officers,  or  -18  in  all,  who  ex- 
pressed definite  opinions  in  favor  of  adopting  the  uniform  system  of  elements. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  and  providing  concurrent  action  is  taken  by  the  Asso- 
ciation of  Official  Agricultural  Chemists  and  the  American  Chemical  Society, 
your  committee  favors  the  adoption  of  the  element  system  for  reporting  analyt- 
ical results  in  the  analysis  of  soils,  ashes,  and  fertilizers  as  rapidly  as  possible, 
and  recommends  that  the  association  urge  those  responsible  for  fertilizer  leg- 
islation to  have  the  laws  changed  if  necessary,  and  as  soon  as  practicable  to 
meet  with  these  recommendations  if  concurred  in. 

This  would  necessitate  the  adoption  of  the  dual  system  of  expressing  results 
temporarily  in  some  States,  but  it  is  hoped  that  when  fertilizer  laws  are  adopted 
to  meet  these  requirements  some  definite  time  will  be  set.  at  the  expiration  of 
which  only  the  element  system  will  appear  on  the  bags  or  tags.  It  is  therefore- 
suggested  that  no  other  terms  than  those  of  the  element  system  be  allowed  after 
the  year  1916. 

Your  committee  also  recommends,  provided  the  foregoing  is  adopted,  that  this 
association  adopt  some  definite  form  for  stating  the  composition  of  fertilizers 
and  fertilizer  materials.     The  following  form  is  suggested  : 

Per  cent. 

Elements  guaranteed  : 

Available    nitrogen 

Inert    nitrogen 

Available   phosphorus 

Inert  phosphorus 

Available  potassium ^ 

Inert    potassium 

We  recommend  that  the  terms  "  available"  and  "inert"'  shall  be  used  in 
harmony  with  the  construction  placed  upon  them  by  the  Association  of  Official 
Agricultural  Chemists. 

The  committee  also  recommends  that  in  case  of  the  adoption  of  the  foregoing 
there  be  required  to  be  printed  on  the  bag  or  on  the  tag  to  be  attached  to  the 
bag  or  to  accompany  fertilizers  sold  in  bulk  an  explanatory  statement  naming 
the  materials  in  which  the  plant  food  is  carried,  as.  for  example: 

The  plant  food  guaranteed  in  this  fertilizer  is  carried  in  cotton-seed  meal, 
potassium  chlorid.  and  acid  phosphate. 

FOODSTUFFS.    CONDIMENTS.    ETC. 

In  the  case  of  foodstuffs,  condiments,  etc..  your  committee  recommends  in  the 
statement  of  analytical  results  the  use  of  names  of  compounds  actually  present 
as  such  in  the  material,  this  being  in  accordance  with  the  present  general 
practice. 

Your  committee  asks  for  further  time  in  which  to  consider  the  more  complete 
unification  of  systems  for  reporting  results  of  analysis  of  some  miscellaneous 
materials,  as  insecticides,  baking  powders,  etc. 

It  is  further  recommended  that  this  association  appoint  a  committee  to  aid 
(preferably  in  cooperation  with  a  similar  committee  from  the  Association  of 
Official  Agricultural  Chemists)  in  trying  to  bring  about  both  national  and  inter- 
national uniformity  in  the  reporting  of  analytical  results. 

Cykij.  (i.  Hopkins, 
Harry   Sxyder. 
H.  J.  Wheeler. 

Committee. 


130 

In  the  discussion  of  iliis  report  attention  was  called  to  the  importance  of  hav- 
ing its  recommendations  concurred  in  by  the  American  Chemical  Society  and  the 
Association  of  Official  Agricultural  Chemists. 

( '.  <;.  Hopkins  (.died  attention  to  the  tact  that  the  adoption  of  the  recommen- 
dations provides  that  they  shall  lie  concurred  in  hy  the  Association  of  Official 
Agricultural  Chemists  and  the  American  Chemical  Society,  and  explained  that 
the  matter  had  already  been  under  consideration  by  the  former  association  for 
some  time,  lie  also  explained  that  there  was  some  difference  of  opinion  among 
the  committee. 

II.  .1.  WHEELER,  of  Rhode  Island.  I  think  we  should  understand  just  what 
would  he  the  result  of  the  adoption  of  these  recommendations.  It  would  mean 
the  changing  of  every  fertilizer  law  in  the  Tnion.  except  possibly  one.  that  of 
Illinois.  I  think  it  is  practically  impossible  to  gel  the  States  to  change  their 
laws,  however  desirable  it  may  he.  Now.  if  definite  action  is  to  he  taken,  it 
seems  to  me  it  oughl  to  lie  taken  with  a  full  knowledge  of  what  it  means  in  the 
way  of  changes  in  the  fertilizer  law  of  the  country.  In  some  States  it  is 
extremely  easy  to  change  legislation,  and  in  other  States  it  is  extremely  difficuH 
and  dangerous  to  do  it.  1  think  that  if  in  those  States  which  use  the  most 
fertilizer  any  attempt  were  made  to  change  the  laws  it  would  he  very  dangerous, 
and  I  don't  think  you  could  get  them  to  attempt  it.  We  must  pass  this  prdposi 
lion  along  first  to  the  official  chemists  with  a  probability  of  it  passing  them,  and 
then  we  will  pass  it  to  the  American  Chemical  Society,  and  who  is  to  say  what 
sort  of  reception  it  will  meet.  Then  we  will  have  to  deal  with  a  great  many 
other  organizations  in  the  country.  It  involves  a  great  change  in  the  practice  of 
chemists,  and  it  involves  a  great  change  in  the  farmer's  understanding  of  matters 
as  they  now   exist. 

('.  (J.  HOPKINS.  Not  more  than  1  per  cent  of  the  farmers  of  the  United  States 
understand  the  use  of  the  system  we  have  now.  There  is  necessarily  some  con- 
fusion on  any  new  subject  when  we  make  any  change  whatever.  Probably  1 
per  cent  of  the  farmers  of  the  United  States  would  he  confused  for  the  next  live 
or  ten  years,  hut  the  question  is  whether  we  shall  cause  this  confusion  or 
whether  we  shall  continue  a  system  which  will  he  a  cause  of  confusion  for  all 
centuries  and  for  all  out   people. 

The  report  was  adopted  and  the  committee  continued. 

Thereupon  the  section  adjourned  sine  die. 


INDEX  OF  NAMES. 


Allen,  E.  W.,  12.  107.   109. 

A  moss.    \Y.    I...    11. 

Andrews,  E.  B.,  11.  30,  31,  58,  84.  88. 

Armshy.  II.  P.,  9,  12.  31,  51,  61,  62,  67,  105. 

110. 
Aylesworth.  P.  O..  11.  84. 
Ayres,  B..  o.   12,  40.  51.  68.  84. 
Bailey,  P.   II..  0.  11.  40.  51,  61,  04.  65. 
Barrow,  P.  N..  11. 
Beal,  W.  -P.  11. 
Bevier,  P.  11.  01. 
Bishopp.  P.  ('..  12. 
Boyd,  T.  P..  0.   IP  61. 
Brooks.  W.  P..  11. 
Pryan.~E.  A..  0.   11.  68,  84.   90.  91. 
Buckham.   M.    II..    0.    12.    IT.   40.   40.   .",1.   61, 

02. 
Bnffum,  P.  ('..  !».  12,  61,  68,  in:;,  H9. 
Burkett.   C.   W.,   IP 
Burnett,  IP  A..  IP  109. 
Purnette.  P.  II..  IP 
Butler.  T..  12. 

Putterfield.  K.  P..   10,   IP  58,  63,  68,  7:',.  84. 
Campbell,  P.  P..  12. 

Carpenter,  P.  <;..  IP  21.  0."..  or,,  km;,  it.). 
Carson,  J.  W.,  12. 
Chilcott,   E.   C,   12. 
Clinton,  P.  A..  11. 
Conner,   C.  M.,  12. 
Conradi,  A.  P..  12. 
Creelman,  <t.  C.,  12. 
Critchfield,  N.  P..  12. 
Crosby,  P.  .P.  12. 
Curtice,  <'..  12. 
Curtiss,  (\  P..  0,  10.  11.  61,  02.  68,  7:;.  102, 

110. 
Dalrymple,  VV.  II..  11. 
Davenport,  P..  10,  11.  .17.  58,  64,  67,  74.  78, 

102. 
Peraaiest.  W.  II.  S..  11. 
Dodson,  W.  P..  11.  61. 
Duggar,  J.  P..  0.  11.  21,  47.  4s.  68. 
Edwards.  IP.  12. 
Ellsworth.    J.    P..    IP 
Ensrle.  E.  R..   12. 
English,  W.  P..  12. 
Evans.   1'..  11. 

Eellows.  G.  E..  11.  2(i.  :'■<>.  58, 
Poster.  P..  11. 

French,  IP  T..  0.  u.  47.  40.  68,  no. 
Pulton.   IP  P..  11. 
Garman,  IP,  11. 


diss.    A..    11. 
(Jreen.  S.  B..  11. 
Halligan,  J.  E..  IP 
Hamilton.   .P.   12. 
Hardy.  J.  P..  IP  31,  58. 
Hare.  P.   P..   11. 
Harper.  J.   N..  12. 
Harrington,  II.  H..  12. 
Hays.  W.  M.,  10.   12.  68.   73. 
II  ay  ward,  II..  IP 
Henry,  W.  A..   10,  12.  36.  7:; 
HertP   P.   von.   11. 
Hills.  J.  P..  0.  11'.  20,  61.  i;n 
Hooper,  J.  -P.  11. 
Hopkins.  P.  (P.  0.  11.  61,  11 
Howell,  P.  P..  IP 
Humphrey,  <J.  ('..  12. 
Hunt.   T.   P..  0.  47. 
Ilurd.  W.   D..   11. 
Huston.    II.    A..    11. 
Hutchinson.  W.  P..  1 1. 
Jenkins,   E.   II..  IP 
Jesse.   P.   II..  0.  r,i. 
Jordan.  W.   II..  0.  11.  61,  0:; 

109,  110,  lis. 
Kalbach,  P.  A..  11.  59. 
Kennedy.   W.   J..   11. 
Kerr.   W.  .P.  12.  00. 
Kilgore,  B.  W..  10,  73. 
Eaylin.  T.  C,   11. 
Linfield,  P.  P..  IP 
Lloyd,  E.  P..  11. 
McKay,  A.  P..  IP 
Mackintosh,  P.  S..  11.  31. 
Manchester.   II.  (J..   11. 
May.    I).   W\.    11. 
Mell.   P.   P.,   11. 
Milks.  IP  J.,  IP 
Morgan,   H.  A..  11. 
Mumford,  IP  \Y..  11.  111. 
Myers,  W.  S..  11. 
Nelson.  A..    11. 
Newman.  P.   P..   11. 
Nichols,   E.   P..   IP 
Patterson,  J-  K-.  IP  35,  66 
Perkins.   W.    P..   IP 
['rice,  IP  P..  0.  12.  68,  00.  ; 
I'urinton.  I).   B..  12.  81. 
Pane.  P.  W.,  IP 
Rankin,  P.  II..  IP 
Ransom,  B.  IP.  12. 
Redding,  R.  J..  11 


.  1 1 .",.  1 
8,  110. 


10. 
130. 


.  H4.  <;.-,.  66,  08. 


(131) 


13! 


Kolfs.   P.    II..    11. 
Sanderson,  E.   I»..  11. 
Sands  ten,   E.   I'..   12. 
Scofield,  0.  s..   12. 
Scovell,  M.  A..  9,  10,  1  1.  61,  6 
Shepperd,  J.  II..  12. 
Silvester,   R.   W„   11. 
Skinner.   .;.    II..   11. 
Slaglf,    R.    1...    ll'. 
Snyder,  n..  11,  129. 
Snyder.  .1.  I...  '.».  1 1.  -Vs.  68,  84, 
Soule,  A.  M.,   in.   12,  68,  7.".. 
Srimson.  R.   W..  u.  11.  21.  61, 
Stone,  \Y.   K..  9,    IT.    is.  68,  '■»" 
Storms,  A.  It..  11.  84,  07. 
Summers.   II.   E.,   11. 
Summers,  J.  ('..  11. 
Taft,  I..  R.,  11. 
Thach,  C  ('..  11.  31,  40,  '.».». 
Thompson,  W.  <>..  9,  5] .  68. 
Thome,  ('.  E.,  0.  10,  12,  68,  7 
Tilman,  J.  N.,  11. 


90,  1  1  1. 


Tracy,  s.  M.,  12. 

Troop,  •!..  1 1. 

True.  A.  ('..  9,  12,  21,  ::•.» 

.  16,  4  7.  :.7. 

7::.  103,  110. 

Tucker,  L..   17. 

Van    Ilise.  ('.   R.,    in.    l -. 

73,   si.  m. 

Vincenheller,  w.  <;..   1 1 . 

Voorhees,  E.  B.,   11. 

Vieeland,  ll..   11. 

Waters,  H.  J.,  '•>.  10,  11. 

f.s.   7s.    109 

Waugh,  I'.  A.,  ll. 

Wheeler,  i'..   I..  11.  67. 

Wheeler,  II.  J.,  12,  »;■_-.  l 

09.    l_".i.    I'M 

White,   li.  c..  u.   11.   it. 

20,   31,   39, 

68,  84,  90. 

Willoughby,  ('.  l...  11. 

Wilson.   .1.    \\\.    12. 

Wouluin.    R.    S..    111. 

Woodburn,  .1.  A..  11. 

i  in. 


106,   1  I! 


Woods.  C.  I> 
Worst.  .1.  II. 
Voder.    P.    A. 


in.    l  i.    78. 


o 


THE  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS. 


Alabama — 

College    Station:    Auburn;    J.    F. 

Duggar." 
Canebrake     Station :     Uniontown ; 

J.  M.  Richeson.& 
Tuskegee    Station:    Tuskegee ;    G. 
W.  Carver." 
Alaska — Sitka:  C.  C.  Georgeson.c 
Arizona — Tucson:  R.  II.  Forbes." 
Arkansas — Fayetteville:    W.    G.    Vin- 

cenheller." 
California — Berkeley:     E.     J.     Wick- 

son.<* 
Colorado — Fort  Collins:  L.  G.  Carpen- 
ter." 
Connecticut — 

State  Station:  If  esc  Haren;  E.  H. 

Jenkins." 
Storrs  Station:  Storrs;  L.  A.  Clin- 
ton." 
Delaware — Nethark:  Harry  Hay  ward." 
Florida — Gainesville:  P.  H.  Rolfs." 
Georgia — Experiment:  Martin   V.   Cal- 
vin." 
Hawaii — 

Federal  Station :  Honolulu :  J.  G. 

Smith,  c 
Sugar    Planters'     Station  :     Hono- 
lulu; C.  F.  Eckart." 
Idaho — Moscow:  II.  T.  French. a 
Illinois — Urbana:  E.  Davenport." 
Indiana — Lafayette:  A.  Goss." 
Iowa — "Ames:  C.  F.  Curtiss."  j 

Kansas — Manhattan:  C.  W.  Rurkett." 
Kentucky — Lexington:  M.  A.  Scovell.a 
Louisiana — 

State  Station:  Baton  Rouge; 
Sugar     Station :     Audubon     Park, 

New  Orleans  ; 
North     Louisiana     Station :      Gal- 
lioun;  W.  R.  Dodson." 
Maine — Orono:  C.  D.  Woods." 
Maryland — College   Park:  II.   J.    Pat- 
terson." 
Massachusetts — Amherst:     Win.     P. 

Brooks." 
Michtgan — Agricultural  College:  C.  D. 

Smithy 
Minnesota — St.     Anthony     Park,     St. 
Paul:  W.  M.  Liggett." 


Mississippi  —  Agricultural        College: 

W.  L.  Hutchinson." 
Missouri — 

College  Station:  Columbia;  H.  J. 

Waters." 
Fruit    Station:    Mountain    Grove; 
P.  Evans." 
Montana — Bozeman:  F.  B.  Linfleld." 
Nebraska — Lincoln:  ,E.  A.  Burnett." 
Nevada — Reno:  J.  E.  Stubbs." 
New     Hampshire — Durham:     W.     D. 

Gibbs." 
New   Jersey — New  Brunswick:  E.   B. 

Voorhees." 
New    Mexico  —  Agricultural    College: 

L.  Foster." 
New  York — 

State    Station :     Geneva;    W.     H. 

Jordan." 
Cornell    Station :    Ithaca;    L.    H. 
Bailey." 
j   North   Carolina— Raleigh:  B.  W.  Kil 
gore." 
North  Dakota — Agricultural  College: 
J.  H.  Worst." 
|  Ohio — Wooster:  C.  E.  Thorne." 
j  Oklahoma — Stillwater:    W.    L.    Eng- 
lish." 
i  Oregon — Corvallis:  J.  Withy  combe." 
Pennsylvania — State    College:    H.    P. 

Armsby." 
Porto  Rico — Mayaguez:  D.  W.  May.r 
Rhode      Island  —  Kingston:      II.      J. 

Wheeler." 
South  Carolina — Clemson  College:  J. 

N.  Harper.  " 
South  Dakota — Brookings:  J.  W.  Wil- 
son." 
Tennessee — Kno.rcille:     H.     A.     Mor- 
gan." 
Texas — College  Station:  J. W. Carson. d 
Utah — Logan:  P.  A.  Yoder." 
Vermont — Burlington:  J.  L.  Hills." 
Virginia — Black sb ur g :  A.  M.  Soule.a 
Washington — Pullman:  E.  A.  Bryan." 
West    Virginia — Morgantown:    J.    H. 

.Stewart." 
Wisconsin — Madison:  W.  A.  Henry." 
Wyoming — Laramie:  B.  C.  Buffum." 


Director.         "Assistant  director.         <•  Special  agent  in  charge.         "Acting  director. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 


3  1262  08927  9011 


